Lost in Delusion
by gyikhu
Summary: Would life be easy on Lara Croft for once? Would she finally find peace in Simon's arms? I guess fate has a few words to say still... chase,  villains, emotions and Lara as you've never seen her before. Enjoy reading! SEQUEL
1. Chapter 1

**I just realised I have no open stories on FF at the moment, which is a fairly strange feeling. It had been a long time since the last part of the Simon epos, so I though it's time to move on. The idea has been lingering on my mind for a long time, and I simply could not resist writing it. The first chapter is a little bit different, but else I plan to make a story a bit darker, so don't be afraid it will be a rosy love-story. But I promise they won't argue anymore! What you can expect: a chase, bad guys, emotions and (hopefully) an interesting twist. **

**This is a sequel to my two previous stories (New adventure of Lara Croft and When the sky is falling). If you are interested of their history, read them as well. Else the story would be understandable without those as well. That golden book is what Lara and Simon were after in the second part. Now it's time to find out what it's all about!**

**Let's start a new adventure and hopefully you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! Reviews are always welcome!**

* * *

><p>Lara loved these mornings. As much as she longed for adventure, these quiet, peaceful moments pleased her. Lying in his arms, enjoying the silence. She had found her peace of mind.<p>

The small room with the white walls... it brought back so many memories. It connected the past, the present and hopefully the future. Lara wanted to believe it. Maybe for the first time in her life she wanted to believe in stability. A man standing to her and accepting her as she was.

Simon's arm was lying on her stomach, keeping contact, but at the same time giving her the freedom she needed. It was all so natural and Lara was not afraid of it anymore. When she raised her left hand, the simple, silver ring glinted on her finger. It wasn't a strange feeling to see it there as she thought it would be.

No, she actually liked looking at it. It showed they belonged together.

He stirred, shifted, pulled her closer. His slight stubble touched the soft skin of her shoulder, and Lara liked the feeling. There was utter silence around them, only her soft, dreamy moan broke it when his lips touched her skin. Why did she feel so much like a woman when being with him? So soft and emotional. Where was the tough, strong adventurer she always had been? She simply melted in his arms whenever he touched her and did not mind it.

When Simon had come to her study last evening, she had admittedly raised a brow. Since they had arrived back from Panama, she had spent a lot of time working on that golden book, and he had always been patient with her. When he had come for her though, taken her hand and pulled her out of the room, she had known she did not want to resist. Without saying a word, he had led her to the car, gently pushed her in and drove to the city. As he had stopped in front of the house she knew so well, there had been a smile on her face. Simon had taken her, had her, become one with her, giving her the most beautiful night of her life. And Lara knew the feeling would last forever.

Now he slowly opened his eyes, fixing his gaze on her. When their eyes met, Lara smiled at him and felt so tender.

"Hey," he said in a low whisper. His hand that was lying on her stomach, gently moved under the blanket to meet her warm skin.

"Hey," she answered back, wetting her full lips, still feeling his on them. "Been a long time since I was lying on this bed." She looked around, searching in her memories.

"I never want to see you like that again." He raised his head, supporting it on his elbow. He reached out, brushing a curl of hair out of her pretty face. Watching her like this was simply amazing. Knowing all those little scratches and scars on her body, remembering the way she had reacted to his touch, her screams of pleasure echoing in his head still. The first time she had lain on this bed, she had been all broken, injured, suspicious. This time she was all his, willing and gorgeous. Already that time he had known he would never want anyone else.

"I can't promise anything," she teased him a bit, but Simon put a finger on her lips to silence her.

"Please don't say this." He did not want to hear it. She, being hurt. Never again. Even though Simon knew he could not stop her, and did not really want either, at that moment all he wanted was to be with her, to spend a few silent hours without the feeling that danger was lurking everywhere.

So he gently pushed away the blanket, revealing her perfect body. She did not resist, neither did she say anything. His fingers ran down, absentmindedly tracing the soft curves of hers. There was nothing greedy or hungry in it. Only a move of pure admiration. His fingers were followed by his eyes, and Lara enjoyed the sensation of being watched by him. That glinting appreciation in his stare. He moved above her, taking over the place of the blanket, smoothly covering her body. All was so calm around them, so strangely undisturbed. As if the world out there ceased to exist and only the two of them were left alone on this small island of stillness.

"I love you so much," he whispered softly, not moving his stare away from her. Not even waiting for her to answer, his lips stole a gentle, slow kiss from her. The laziness of it sent a familiar thrill through her and she welcomed the feeling. The memory of their first kiss ran back to her mind. How different it had been back in the MI6 house. That time it had been simple attraction, now she felt so much for him. More than for anyone else in her life before. The end of the world could have come now, and she would have happily gone down in his arms. He moved lower. Brushing his lips tenderly along her skin, he planted an innocent kiss on her belly, breathing in the sweet scent of her. Her body arched slightly to him in answer. Not wanting to get caught by passion this time, he pressed his face against her stomach, his stubble caressing her skin. Her fingers skimmed through his hair, and they embraced this silent moment together. Words were not needed, they sensed each other in a deeper way than ever before.

The soothing silence was suddenly disturbed by the stern vibration of her phone on the bedside table. No sound was turned on, only the rumbling on the hard surface could be heard. Lara winced, trying to close out the outer world. It was still too early, she did not want to get back to reality yet. She could feel him moving a bit, just enough for her to realise. Closing her eyes, she let out a small sigh of surrender, but then the phone went silent and Lara felt grateful. She wanted this moment to last a bit longer still, just a few seconds…. a few minutes or hours. It did not matter. She could have just stayed in this bed with him forever. The stillness returned only long enough to be disturbed by another rumbling of the phone a few seconds later.

Lara frowned, somehow feeling in her bones that this was not a good sign. Shifting a bit, she reached out for it to see it was Winston calling her. Annoyance turned into curiosity, then again into worry.

"Please… don't take it." Simon looked up at her, kissing his way up to her neck. "I need a bit more time for us." He smiled a bit, trying to take the phone out of her hand.

"I have to take it." Her tone somehow scared him. There was worry in her voice even without knowing what the message was. She moved the phone to her ears. Simon rose a bit, starting to feel more and more concerned seeing her face.

"What?" she asked suddenly, sitting up with a quick move. "Are you okay?"

"What happened?" he looked at her, but she did not answer.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." She answered to her butler, trying to jump out of the bed right away, but Simon stopped her.

"Tell me what happened." He held her arm, looking at her so intensely that it calmed her just a little bit. Only for a fraction of a second.

"Someone broke into the manor. The book is gone. We have to get back." Even if her face looked worried, Simon was grateful to her for using 'we' instead of 'I'. Maybe for the first time Lara thought of them as a unit, sharing her problems with him.

"Get dressed, I'll drive." He let her hand go, starting to find his scattered clothes as well. They only needed five minutes to get ready. This time the small car rushed through the city with an incredible speed. No sightseeing, no gentle turns. They did not talk, but he knew what was going on in her head.

"I'm sorry," he said, thinking she blamed him for taking her away from the manor last night. Blamed him for losing the book.

"Don't say that." She looked at him, caressing his face with the back of her hand. Even in this tense moment she found a way to give him some tenderness that meant so much to Simon now. As if she was reading his mind, she knew what he had meant and told him with those three simple words he was not right.

They just turned in through the gate of the manor when it happened. Simon had no idea why but he lost control of the car. There was a loud explosion, the vehicle flipped around. There was smoke, blinding light, loud crackling, windows smashed. He felt pain, lost his sense of direction. Everything happened so fast that Simon had no time to realise it. Lara was on his mind. He reached out to her, but then the car bumped into a tree and his head hit the door hard. All went black…

...

Simon groaned out loud when he came round. His hand reached to his head that was ruefully pounding in pain. For a moment he had no idea what had happened. All he could feel was pain everywhere. He smelled smoke. It took him several seconds to grasp that the car he was sitting in had turned upside down and he was still attached to the seat by the safety belt. When his fingers found the belt, he pushed the button, releasing it. He dropped painfully to the ground… well, actually to the roof of the small car.

"For God's sake" he groaned out, trying to find out where he was. He could hardly see anything, the smoke burning his eyes, blurring his vision. Driving through the city… the phone call… the book. Suddenly it all came back to him. Lara! He looked around desperately. The realisation hit him harder than any physical pain. She was gone…


	2. Chapter 2

Smoke filled the small car, and Simon tried to open the door, but it was stuck. Pushing it with his shoulder, he tried to force it, but incredible pain split through him when he touched the metal. He was coughing. With one of his hands he waved the smoke away and crawled over to the other side. All he saw was burnt plants, slivers of glass, pieces of the car lying around. The smoke burnt his lungs.

"Lara?" he said but his voice only sounded like a groan. Simon fell on the ground, trying to breath, filling his lungs with oxygen. When he attempted to stand up, the world spun around with him. His head was pounding, he felt pain everywhere. Stumbling a few steps forward, he fell to his knees again. No, he repeated again and again. He must not faint, no matter what. He had to find Lara, had to keep her out of trouble. His vision blurred for a moment, he pressed his hand on his eyes.

How could it be that Lara disappeared? Why had she left him there? It did not make sense. Simon forced himself to his feet again, feeling the bitter taste of worry in his mouth. It could not be that the damn book was more important to her, he thought frantically and felt ashamed for the idea at the same time. The small car behind him was burning, flames licked its body, the crackling sound of it filling his mind. His left knee gave in and buckled under him. Simon felt faint. Pain fumbled with his mind, fighting with his will-power to stay conscious. Something warm ran down his neck. When he touched his fingers there, they became red and sticky. The image of the manor before him whirled, the darkness came closer again, but Simon fought it back. He had to get in, had to find her.

When he reached the gate, he breathlessly leaned against it, but it opened under his weight and Simon fell into the hall. It was all calm. The heavy silence almost hurt him. All he could hear was his own blood throbbing in his ears and his ragged breathing. For a moment Simon thought to lose consciousness again, but he managed to struggle to his feet once more. The stairs in front of his seemed endless when he ran his exhausted eyes over them.

"Lara?" he shouted again that made him cough. The smoke he had breathed in, still burnt his lungs. With great efforts, he grabbed the banister and pulled himself to the first step. All kinds of terrible pictures were floating in front of him. Lara lying on the floor of the study, soaked with blood. Being threatened by someone. Being shot, hurt. Dead. No, his mind screamed and he fell to his knees again. It was only his mind playing games with him, Simon tried to convince himself anxiously. Pain blurred his vision again, he crawled two more steps on the stairs and against his will fainted to the floor.

...

When Simon opened his eyes, he jerked upright. The soft pillow under his head confused him. Had it been all just a dream? But the throbbing pain in his head was still there, reminding him ruefully of the reality. A thick bandage covered his forehead. He realised he was lying on the sofa in front of the fireplace in the manor.

"Mr Hanningham. Good to have you back." He heard a voice talking and he needed a long second to realise it was Winston. The old man looked confused, painful expression on his face.

"What happened?" Simon looked around a bit lost. "Where is Lara?"

"I reckoned Lady Croft was with you." Winston answered softly, his face growing more anxious.

"She was. Where is Lara?" he repeated the question in a desperate voice. Jumping up from the couch, he wanted to run upstairs, but the room swirled with him for a moment. It did not stop Simon. He sped to the stairs, raced along the corridor and burst the door of the study open. The view that welcomed him deepened the despair in his face. Suddenly no word came out of his mouth. A black hole messed up the wall where once the safe had been. The explosion swept away almost everything, burnt sheets of paper were lying everywhere, furniture overthrown. The smell brought vicious memories of the burning car back to his mind. But Lara was nowhere. No sign of her. And no sign of the golden book that should have been in the safe. Simon groaned in anguish.

"I'm sorry, Mr Hanningham. I could do nothing against it." Winston talked behind his back in a low, sad voice.

"Where is Lara?" It was the third time that Simon asked the question and did not get an answer to it. "Winston!" he turned to the old butler. "Where is Lara?" he grabbed the lapel of his suit, but immediately let his hands down again.

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't know. I wish I did," he said almost pleadingly.

"Tell me what happened." Simon walked into the destroyed room and tried to force himself not to think of all those terrible images that returned to his mind. Lara was strong, Lara could take care of herself. He should have been there, he kept repeating inwardly. He should have been there. His fingers touched the surface of the wide oak desk that was standing in the room. It was covered by dust and ashes. A thin line stayed behind where he had touched it.

"I heard a rumble early in the morning and the alarm went off. By the time I reached the hall, the explosion shook the manor and I hurried to the study where the noise came from, but I was too late. They took the book with them. So I immediately called Lady Croft."

"Did you see them?" Simon pressed his hand on his temple to think. It was painful.

"No. I'm afraid I didn't. When I stepped out of the room, someone hit me. The next thing I know is that I found you on the stairs and Lady Croft was gone." Winston was standing stock-still, showing very little emotion, but Simon could see it in the old man's eyes that he was worried to death.

"And Lara was gone," Simon repeated his last words, only mumbling under his breath. The thought hurt him. How could he have let it happen? They had come in, blown up the whole study not caring about the alarm. Why? It did not make sense. They had found the book, no one had seen them and still they had not disappeared. Again, why? And suddenly he understood it. They had let Winston call Lara because they knew she would return right away. They had been waiting for her. The book was not the only thing they had wanted. They wanted Lara together with it. Thoughts were spinning around in his head making him dizzy again.

Despair and fear overtook him. This damn booked had caused so much trouble by now. He cursed the day he had first heard about it. And everyone who had dragged Lara into this. Were they doomed to be unhappy? Torn apart whenever they would find a moment of peace? He had to find her.

When Simon let the despair unveil his mind for a moment, he could see it all so clear. The golden book. There was only one person in the world he had known about it. Who had known where to find it and how to get it. Who had known that Lara was the only person to solve it. But could it be? Could he have survived that doom in the cave? There was no other possible explanation. Kowalski was alive and he took Lara. Again.

"I'm going to find her if it's the last thing I do in my life," he said and turned to face Winston. There was resolution in his eyes even if he looked tired and in pain. Lara was his and he would not let a crazy guy take her from him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Can you help me or not?" Simon snapped, hitting the desk in front of him with his fist to control his annoyance. Twenty-four hours had passed and he knew nothing more than before. Damn it. He could hardly restrain himself.

"I'm not sure what you want from me." Mike said. They had worked together in Panama, so it was obvious for Simon to turn to him. Mike knew what this had been all about. "You told me Kowalski was dead and the book disappeared."

"Now I'm telling you the opposite." Simon was almost shouting with impatience. How could someone be so stubborn? Why did no one understand his intentions? Why was everyone against him? "Did you understand anything from what I told you?" He turned around, breathed in deeply to collect himself. Shouting with Mike would not help for sure. At the moment he was not at all certain that coming to the MI6 for help had been a good idea. He paced up and down the small interrogation room they were in.

"Simon, listen to me. There's no proof for anything. How do you want me to go after a phantom because you say so?" Mike leaned against the table in the middle of the room. It was fixed to the floor, the neon light above them cast a strange, greenish light on their faces.

"Isn't it enough proof that we were attacked? I tell you the book is gone. And so is Lara. Can't you see she's in danger?" Simon could not grasp it. Was he the only one to see things clearly? Why did Mike not believe him?

"Damn it, Simon." Mike almost whispered in an angry voice. "It was you telling us that this damn book didn't exist at all. What the hell are you talking about?"

Simon waved a hand and was close to freak out. Lara had wanted him to hide it from the MI6. She had wanted it for herself and he had been stupid enough to listen to her. Guided by his emotions he had given in to her, let her take it, hide it, examine it without even thinking about the consequences. It had never occurred to him that Kowalski could be alive. That he would come after her. Simon could have hit himself for being so reckless. Oh, he was angry, but he did not know who with. Probably with the whole world, him being on the top of the list.

"Would you stop for a moment?" Mike looked at him questioningly. "Are you talking about that archaeologist? We haven't heard of her ever since you left the office to go after Kowalski."

Of course, Simon thought. They had made a deal with the head of the MI6. Lara's name had not been mentioned in the reports in exchange of stopping Kowalski. The only person who had known about what had happened, had been dead. So both the CIA and the MI6 had closed the case and buried it deep into the strictly confidential part of their archives.

"I'm not authorized to tell you," Simon lowered his voice, turning to the one-way mirror on the wall. His desperate mirror-image looked back at him. His fist clenched, his jaw firmed, he gritted his teeth so much it almost hurt.

"Fine." Mike threw up his hands. "I don't know what's going on with you and that woman…."

"You don't need to know. Lara is someone I…" Simon abruptly went silent. "Just do it for me, please. I need to know where Kowalski went. I need to find her." This time Simon turned to face his friend. Mike stared at him for several long seconds and read the silent plead in his eyes.

"I'll see what I can do," he agreed finally without asking any more questions and Simon was grateful for it. He did not want to talk about Lara as it hurt him more than anything in the world.

"Thanks," he said softly and left the room, leaving the stunned Mike behind.

...

Winston grabbed a plate with some sandwiches and slowly walked up the stairs. The silence of the manor meant nothing new to him. When Lara was on the road, the house always became so empty and lifeless. This time though the stillness sounded different, tension vibrated in it. He politely knocked on the door of the study and waited for the answer. What he heard was more a groan than anything else, but he took the handle and stepped in.

"I thought you might wish to eat something, Mr Hanningham," he declared in a measure voice and stopped in the middle of the room.

Simon turned to face him. He looked tired and restless. "I told you to call me Simon."

"Of course, Mr Hanningham." Winston went closer, placing the plate on the desk next to him. "Can I do anything else for you?"

No answer came for a long time as if Simon had not heard him at all. Then he slowly raised his head, looking directly at the old butler. "You know her better than anyone else."

"Yes, I dare to say that." Winston was standing there, not really knowing what to expect.

"There need to be something here that can give me a hint." Simon desperately looked around the messy room. He had spent every minute in here since Lara was gone. Again and again, he rummaged through every single sheet of paper, every note that she had made and did not find anything that could help. Rubbing his face, he heaved in a deep sigh. "I need to have her back," he whispered in a low voice.

Hardly audibly Winston cleared his voice, putting his weight from leg to the other. "I'm not sure I should tell you…" His voice trailed off, clearly showing his hesitation.

Simon's hands moved away from his face and he turned to the old man with some new hope glinting in his eyes. Whatever it was, he had to know. "What do you mean?"

"If Lady Croft hasn't told you, maybe I shouldn't." He felt uneasy, but knew it was too late to back out.

"For God's sake, Winston. Whatever it is, tell me. You want to help Lara as much as I do."

"Of course," he nodded and cleared his throat again. Everything in him protested against telling secrets of his employer to someone else, but it had to be. "Lady Croft does have a diary. Maybe…"

"Where is it?" Simon jumped up, rushing over to him. He had never heard about a diary before. How could she have kept it away from him?

"Lady Croft keeps it in a secret hideout over her bed." Winston's voice was not more than a low whisper, but Simon did not even wait for him to finish the sentence. Rushing out of the study, he ran to Lara's bedroom. When he stepped in, he abruptly came to a halt. Being in that room was almost painful. She was everywhere, her scent lingered in the air, he could see the two of them burning in fire on that wide bed. Swallowing hard, he walked over to the bed. What he felt was no resentment. He did not mind her having her privacy, her secrets. Everyone needed that. When he found the little notebook, his hand stopped in mid-move. Would she want him to read it? What if there was nothing in it that could help in any way? Simon hesitated. Breaking into her thoughts was something he was not ready for. Holding the leather booklet in his hands, he sat down to the edge of the bed. Curiosity? Of course he was curious. Knowing her inner feelings was tempting for sure. His fingers touched the cover and he was just about to open it when the phone rang in his pocket. The sound startled him.

He let out the air he was unknowingly holding. Putting the diary aside, he took the call.

"Hey, I think you'll like me for this," Mike said without greeting him.

"Tell me what you found." Simon jumped up as he could not sit anymore. He could feel his palm go damp and his heartbeat quicken.

"You were right. Kowalski entered Greece a few hours ago and checked into a hotel in Athens. And he was not alone."


	4. Chapter 4

The Mediterranean Sea looked so small, calm and blue from the distance. The boats and ships crossing it seemed tiny, the islands just little spots in the endless water. Not a single cloud disturbed the view when the airplane turned slightly to the right, approaching Greece. Simon's hand clenched on the armrest as anticipation was growing in him. His eyes followed a small boat that left a long white stripe of waves behind in the water. It could have been a huge ship actually.

Fortunately no one was sitting on the seat next to him. Thanks God, he thought. It would have been a pain to listen to some chatter of an unknown person who felt bored. He leaned back in the seat, resting his head against the top of it. Without moving his head, his hand slipped to the other seat, touching the small, leather booklet that way lying there.

He could not have explained why he had taken the diary with him, but when he had boarded the plane, it had been hiding in his inner pocket. Then he had been holding it in his hands, watching it for a long while. Would it be forgivable if he read it? Would he regret having broken her privacy and seen her inner thoughts? It was a hard decision and so far he had been unable to make it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Athens International Airport. For your safety and comfort, we ask that you please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. Thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again," the flight attendant announced, dragging Simon out of his reverie. He slowly took the diary and tucked it back into his pocket without opening it.

What if he was too late, Simon pondered in the taxi, heading to the city. The air was hot and humid, he opened the window to get some air inside. _Kowalski checked into the King George Palace_, he remembered Mike's words.

"Do you know anything else?" Simon had asked eagerly.

"Sorry, pal. That's all I know. One thing is sure. He took several rooms, so he must be up to something."

Simon let out a desperate sigh, and touched the left side of his jacket. The diary was still in there, safe and sound. Would Lara be angry with him for taking it? It did not matter, he only wanted to see her again. The driver sped along the streets, the ancient buildings raced in front of Simon's eyes, but he did not really see them. Being absorbed in his thoughts he hardly realised when the taxi stopped. He got out, taking his bag from the trunk of the car and looked up to the parliament. The symmetrical, square building stared back at him, the unmoved soldiers in front of it looked like statues. His target was something else though. Walking around the corner, he hurried down the road. The heat was rising, Simon started to sweat.

When he found the place, he sat down in a café, ordered some water and waited. If Kowalski was moving with so many people around him, he must spot him sooner or later. He needed to make sure first that Lara was alright. His fingers were impatiently drumming on the table as the hours went by. The waiter came to him again, looking at him a bit strangely, but Simon did not care. He would not move before he would see her. The sun rose high in the sky, the heat was almost vibrating in the air. Simon wiped off the sweat with his forearm. Suddenly his attention was grabbed by a dark car stopping in front of the hotel. Another two of the same kind followed it. Simon straightened up in the chair, not taking his eyes off them. It must be him, he repeated again and again. Two tall men in dark suits got out of the first vehicle, they looked around and walked to the second car. Dark sunglasses covered their eyes and Simon could imagine very well what their job was. Bodyguards, he thought warily. He took a pair of small binoculars out of his bag, and trying to stay as hidden as possible, started to watch the scene.

The back door of the second limousine opened and a man stepped out of it. Slowly he turned around, set his jacket right and put on his sunglasses.

"Kowalski," Simon squeezed the name out between his teeth. His grip tightened around the binoculars, tension within him growing to an unbearable level. How was this possible? Had this guy lost his mind? Would he drag Lara to the hotel in front of all these people? Simon could not imagine her showing no resistance. Kowalski's hand reached out towards the car, and a second later Lara's head appeared. Simon swallowed hard, hardly resisting the temptation to jump up from the chair, but he knew he would not help her by getting caught. She was alright. He let out a deep sigh of relief. That was the most important and he felt as if stones rolled off his chest. Her hair was put together in the usual ponytail, she looked unharmed.

Watching the scene longer made a frown appear on his forehead though. Lara was standing next to Kowalski, seemingly casually chatting with him, not even trying to get away from him. Her hand ran through her hair, she stretched herself lightly. What was happening here, Simon wondered. Was she playing a role? Had he threatened her with something?

'"I need to get her out of there," he whispered barely audibly. Anger filled him when Kowalski put his hand to the small of Lara's back, and ushered her inside the hotel. Lara looked around once more, but did not spot Simon. Then the whole group disappeared from his sight. Simon groaned angrily. He did not understand anything. What could be the reason for Lara's unusual behaviour? How could Kowalski keep her in his hands? Simon almost lowered the binoculars when he suddenly saw something that made him even angrier.

After Kowalski and Lara walked away, another man got out of the third car. He put on the same kind of sunglasses, and interestingly did not follow the others but turned around to walk down the street. Simon's fist clenched again. No way this asshole would be getting away with this. He quickly threw some money on the table, grabbed his bag, and went after him. Taking care, he would not spot him, he followed the guy a few corners, then he saw him turn into a smaller road. Simon stopped at the corner, peering in. When he saw that the guy turned left again, he quickly ran around the block to get in front of him.

Hiding behind a house, he waited for him to walk into his trap. Dark anger filled him thinking about the treachery he had committed against them. And all the way they had trusted him. Lara had trusted him. When he thought of seeing her with him, he wanted to hit the wall behind his back. He had looked so innocent, so helpful and he had turned out to be a snake in the grass. Watching his happy face, his muscles tensed. The guy walked closer, he could hear him whistle softly. When he reached the corner, Simon grabbed him, pushing him angrily against the wall. Staring daggers at him, his hand clenched around his throat and he enjoyed the frightened expression on his face so much. He tried to struggle free, his hand grabbed Simon's wrist, but he had no chance against him. Not this time.

"You're gonna pay for this dearly, Eddie."


	5. Chapter 5

"Wait," Eddie squeezed the word out of him with great difficulty. "Let me explain." He felt like coughing but he could not.

"What do you want to explain?" Simon groaned, looking at the younger agent with disgust. If he could call him an agent at all. Double agent would be a better term to use, he thought angrily. The image of him dancing with Lara was still so vivid on Simon's mind. His hand tightened on his neck, making him wriggle in despair. "Lara trusted you," he hissed threateningly.

Eddie's mouth opened, but no sound came out of it. He was choking desperately, trying to pull Simon's hand away from his neck, but to no avail. His grip was hard as a rock. For a long moment it looked like he would strangle him, the muscles in his arms tensed, but then he let lose. Eddie panted for air. Simon did not let him go completely, but allowed him to breathe.

"Please," he was pleading, still trying to catch a breath. Fear glinted in his eyes when he stared at Simon. "Give me five minutes."

"You disgust me." Simon's face hardened, his grip tightening a little bit again. Eddie hissed in pain. "How could you do this to her?"

"I didn't mean to," he jabbered quickly. "I had no choice."

"There's always a choice," Simon interrupted irritably. The idea that Lara almost… he did not want to think about it. Knowing that it had been mostly his fault still made him furious. If he had not left her… if he had tried harder… if he had not pushed her away then maybe all this would not have happened. Lara would have never heard of Kowalski, of the golden book, of Panama. The two of them would have never met again… never found the answers to those questions, he would have never hold her in his arms again. Never would have experienced this perfect happiness. Simon closed his eyes for a moment, letting his guard down. Feeling his weakness, Eddie tried to move, but Simon grabbed his shirt, tossing him to the ground in front of him.

"Just listen to me," Eddie begged, backing away from him on the dusty ground. Simon was looming over him, dangerous expression on his face.

"There's one reason why you're still alive." He stepped closer, his look blazing. "You're gonna tell me everything you know. If you help me find Lara, I might consider leaving you alive."

"You don't understand. I've always helped you," Eddie said abruptly and Simon stopped for a moment. He grabbed Eddie's shirt again, pulling him forcefully up from the ground and pushed him against the wall again.

"Stop lying, you rat." His fist clenched, he raised it high, preparing to punch him in the face. Eddie winced, pulling his head away as much as possible. Not that it helped.

"I'm not working for Kowalski. Listen to me," he kept repeating desperately and Simon slowly lowered his fist. He did not believe a word of it, but something made him listen. "Kowalski thought I worked for the CIA just to get information for him about the book. All he wanted was Lara Croft to join the team and when he heard he managed to get her on board, he told me to watch her."

Simon's eyes narrowed when he heard his words, his grip tightened on Eddie's shirt, but he let him talk. He wanted to hear it all. All those lies so he could silence him forever when the time would come.

"My goal was to get the book. Ask my bosses. I've never actually worked for Kowalski. Can't you see I always tried to help you in the cave? Kept Lara away from danger as much as possible? But I couldn't reveal myself before I had the book. Not even to you."

Simon tried to digest his words. Shaking his head in disbelief, he took a step backwards, letting his shirt go. No, he would not believe him. It was all nonsense. Of course he was lying. Just to save his own ass he would tell him anything he wanted to hear. But it made him think.

"When I told Kowalski that Lara should climb the wall… you remember? I knew she could do it. I wanted to give her the chance to get away."

Simon was confused. Could it be true?

"The only reason why I'm here is to get the book before Kowalski would. I knew he didn't give up. I need your help… something happened that shouldn't have…"

"My help? I don't believe a word of what you're telling me," Simon grunted.

"Please… for Lara's sake. She needs your help." Eddie played the only card he knew would work. Already back in Panama he had been sure Simon loved Lara. There had been such a spark between them from day one, but he had only realised it later. "You need to get to her. You're the only one who can help her."

That was damn right, Simon thought irritably. "Bring me to her."

"It's not that easy. Kowalski doesn't let her out of sight, but I'll see what I can do. Come with me." Eddie waited for Simon to let him go. His hand slowly pulled back, still mistrust on his face.

"If you try to deceive me, you'll regret it," he grumbled, tossing Eddie in front of him.

...

They walked back to the hotel, Simon keeping an eye on the area. When they got close, he pulled Eddie behind a corner, looking at him with piercing eyes. "What's your plan?"

"Wait here. I'll need to check if we can get in."

"Sure," Simon laughed out. "Are you insane?"

"You don't have any other choice. We can't just walk in there. If they see you, it's all over." Simon let out a sigh. Damn it that he was right. Everything in him resisted against letting Eddie go alone, but there were no other possibilities.

"Alright," he said unwillingly. Eddie nodded and slowly walked away, heading to the hotel. "I'm gonna regret this," Simon whispered.

...

Slowly fifteen minutes were gone and Eddie did not appear again. Simon cursed for making a fool out of himself. He should have known that he could not trust him. All these fairy tales he had told him about helping them. Bullshit. But he was so desperate to get Lara out of there that he was clutching at straws. He could not erase her figure out of his mind. Lara getting out of the car, standing there next to Kowalski, her face completely friendly. Why? She must have a plan, he decided. Would she make Kowalski believe she surrendered? Wait for the first chance when he would not watch her so closely?

Some noise distracted him from behind, but when he looked there, nothing was to be seen. It must be a cat or something, he thought. Turning back to the hotel, he fixed his stare on the front door, wishing he could glimpse her for a moment. Just to see her face once. He craved it. In these two days he had realised he could not live without her anymore. Not a single day, an hour, a minute. The noise assailed his ears again, but no one was there. Damn it, he was growing more and more nervous.

The third time he did not even bother anymore to look back. And it proved to be a mistake. When he felt someone's presence, it was too late. Something hit the back of his neck, pain split into his body as a lightning. He fell to his knees.

"What a tough guy," he heard the blurred voice behind his back, then one more blow and he lost consciousness.

...

Cold water splashed into his face and Simon shook his head angrily as he came round. His head was throbbing in pain when he moved, his hands were not obeying. He groaned out loud when someone grabbed his aching shoulder. Forcing his eyes open, the contours of the room slowly slipped into focus. Water was dripping into his face, keeping him from falling back into the dark.

A toss from behind and he lost his balance, falling on his knees.

"I'm glad to see you again, Mr… what was your name again?" The voice only reached his ears weakly, Simon needed some moments to grasp the meaning. Fighting to stay conscious, he tried to concentrate on the words. On the voice that sounded so familiar, but his fuzzy mind could not identify it. "Isn't it an irony of life that we always meet in this situation?" the male voice grew more ironic, obviously enjoying himself.

"In what situation?" Simon groaned the words, still struggling to clear his mind.

"You on your knees, me keeping a gun to you head." A click could be heard as he secured the weapon that made Simon wake up much faster than he thought it would be possible. His unfocused eyes met the grin of the man standing in front of him.

"Kowalski," he mumbled the name for the umpteenth time.

"What an honour that you remember my name, Mr… sorry again?" he looked at him expectantly. Simon was sure Kowalski knew his name very well, but pretending he had no idea was a very effective way to show him who the boss was.

"What do you want from me?" Simon held his head high, looking as resolute as he could.

"That's a very smart question, pal." Kowalski lowered the gun, walking around seemingly pondering. "What do I want from you? Let me see…" He scratched his head with the barrel of the gun. "I think I want nothing from you at all." He suddenly trained the weapon on Simon and pulled the trigger. Simon instinctively winced, the gun clicked empty and Kowalski burst out in a cold laughter. "Oh I like these little games," he stated grinning.

"Go to hell," Simon grunted. He almost said it out loud that he should just shoot him, but something kept him from doing so. Lara.

"So," he continued happily as if nothing had happened. "I made the mistake not to check you were dead. I learned from it. But if I think about it, it may not be such a bad thing after all. Now that you're here, you may be useful to me for a little experiment." He sat down to a big armchair, his hand playing with the gun. For some moments he was watching Simon intently, but he remained unmoved. "I can see you are not very talkative today, but it doesn't matter. You don't need to say anything. All I need is your face. Then I will be certain I reached what I wanted." Kowalski could see on Simon's face that he was thinking. What the hell was he talking about? Simon did not like this at all. What experiment? Where was he at all? Bloody hell.

"You can't make me," Simon stated.

"I don't need to," Kowalski smiled coldly. "Bring her in."

Simon wriggled. Even if Kowalski did not say her name, Simon was sure he had meant Lara. So she was there. Despair and worry filled him, becoming even worse when the door slowly opened. He could imagine her in front of him with tied hands, trouble face, hurt, injured. But the Lara who came in looked completely different. Simon raised a brow when he glimpsed her. She walked in, all graceful, strong, beautiful, her face calm and curious.

"Come, I want you to meet someone." Kowalski kept his eyes on her, watching her every wince.

"Lara," Simon called out, trying to stand up, but someone pushed him back down. "Are you all right?"

For a moment there was silence in the room. Disturbing silence. As if only realising then someone was kneeling there, Lara slowly turned to Simon, her brown eyes meeting his. Her lips opened to say something, but then she changed her mind. She frowned a little, tilting her head to the side slightly. Simon watched her with anguish, craving to hear her voice.

"Who is this man? I don't know him," she said after a while in a completely measured voice.


	6. Chapter 6

The words stabbed into him like a cold, merciless blade of a knife being pushed deep into his guts. The longer Simon watched her hazel eyes looking at him curiously, the more convinced he became that Lara was not playing a role. His breath caught, his resistance to stay on his knees faded away. Time stopped for an endless moment and he felt as if the world crushed down onto him with all its weight. Had he heard it right? That could not be. _I don't know him, I don't know him_… the words were echoing in his head like a rueful mantra he would never be able to erase again. A pleading expression appeared on his face, he tried everything that was possible to send her a wordless message, to make her laugh out and admit she had been joking, but Lara's face remained unchanged.

Her brown eyes were looking at him without showing any glint of recognition. Those eyes that had been caressing him with every glance so gently a few days ago. Those eyes that had been holding such deep love, such endless tenderness. Now they were all cold and meaningless. His mouth opened, but no sound came out of it. Simon had no idea what to say, his mind blocked down, all sensible thoughts leaving in a second after hearing those scornful words that he still believed had been playing a mean game with his brain. Those could not have been words Lara would say. Yet he had heard them leaving her own lips. Those beautiful lips that had been kissing him so tenderly and passionately at the same time. He was staring at her in disbelief, not being able to grasp it.

"Lara," he managed to squeeze out of himself, but the word sounded strenuous and feeble. Simon felt as if all strength had left his body. She looked down at him once more, seemingly thinking, but then she turned and after Kowalski nodded to her, Lara left the room without any further comment. Simon plunged to the floor.

"That was a very intuitive experience, I'd say," Kowalski laughed out. "You should have seen your face."

"What did you do to her?" Simon asked, his voice not more than a hoarse whisper. Kowalski looked at him, but Simon's head was bowed, he was watching the floor where Lara had been standing a moment earlier.

"I did nothing to her." Kowalski crossed his legs, his fingers playing with the trigger of the gun he was still holding. The two man forcing Simon down before stepped back at his sign. There was no need for violence anymore. Simon looked broken, like a man who had surrendered to fate. His hands were hanging loosely at his side, his head down, his face showing despair. How could that be? How could Lara act like that? Millions of questions were swirling in his head and they were all about her. Her. Her. He wanted to scream, to curse the gods wherever they were for doing this to him. Why? What had he done against them? He would have sold his soul to the devil right away to be able to turn back time. To be able to make her look at him like she had before. To have her back. Anything but that empty look she had given him.

"Liar," Simon said hardly audibly.

"You call me a liar? Have I ever lied to you?" Kowalski answered in a mocking tone. Oh, he loved seeing his enemies suffer and this was even better than anything he had imagined. This guy had nerved him all the time, he had been around Lara Croft all the time and finally he could take his revenge. And it was sweet, oh so sweet. Seeing his suffering face rewarded him for those painful months after the doom in the cave. It was a payback. And what a payback. His and fate's that was finally on his side now.

"What did you do to her?" Simon repeated his earlier question and this time he raised his head, looking right into his eyes. There was desperate anger glinting in them.

"It wasn't me. It was you." When he said the words, Simon felt his anger reach a new level.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He could hardly restrain himself not to jump up and strangle the life out of this man, but the other two were still standing behind him. His anger defeated his despair and he wanted to hurt him. Hurt him bad. There was one thing that held him back from this recklessness. Lara. He would not give up on her. He knew there was a way to get her back and he would find it if it was the last thing he did in his life. Lara would not end up as a slave to a maniac whatever he had done to her.

"You drove that car, not me." Kowalski watched his eyes blaze and enjoyed it.

"Damn you," Simon hissed threateningly. "What did you do to her?"

"No need to get harsh," he grinned. "As I said I did nothing to her. At least not in the beginning." Kowalski considered it a bit, then decided to go for it. This guy would not mean a problem any longer after he was ready with him. "You can't imagine how surprised I was myself after she woke up in my hotel room. I expected her to fight, to attack, to kick and bite. Instead she looked at me curiously. Isn't that something for a change?"

"I don't understand you." Simon had no idea if he could believe him. Why would Lara behave like that?

"That's exactly how I felt too, my friend," he smiled in satisfaction. "What a convenient turn that she had no idea who she was and what happened to her, isn't it?" His grin grew wilder as he was watching Simon's stunned face. His expression changed from one second to the other. From anger to total amazement. "So I could just tell her any story I wanted to. Brilliant idea, don't you think?" Kowalski stood up, slowly ambling from the armchair to the window, then back again. "And now I know that she's not playing. No one is such a good actress. I could see it in her eyes that she had really no idea who you were. Excellent, excellent." He laughed out again, seeing Simon's suffering face.

"You son of a bitch.." he grunted, but the two men stepped behind him again, twisting his arms behind his back. Simon struggled, but had no chance.

"And it will stay like this… maybe forever," he snorted. "He's not needed anymore," he nodded to the two men, and left the room without looking at Simon again.

...

"Who was that?" Lara asked without turning around when she heard someone enter the room. She was standing at the window, looking out to the busy road. The morning traffic was peaking, but the windows kept the noise out of the room. "Why did you want me to meet him? I don't understand it."

Kowalski went closer, considering standing right behind her and running his hands down her arms. Then he dismissed the idea. No need to remind her of anything from the past that was not necessary. A gentle touch could bring back too many unwanted memories. So he moved over to the chair standing next to the drawer, but did not sit down.

"I told you there were others after it. Others with evil intentions. He's one of them, but you don't need to worry about that," he assured her softly, his voice completely changed from the cold mockery he had used in the other room.

"You need to get rid of him then," she said with resolution in her measured voice. Lara turned around, crossing her arms on her chest. Her brown eyes looked right at Kowalski and they sparked unemotional. Walking over to the bed, she pulled out the upper drawer of the nightstand and a second later the metallic barrel of a gun glinted in her hand. She could not remember ever using this gun, but holding it in her hand gave her a familiar sensation. It felt like something well known, something that belonged to her. So it must be true what this man had told her.

Lara still felt a bit confused, her fingers slipped to the side of her forehead that still ached after the accident. Who was she? All she knew was what Kowalski had told her. Lara Croft… the name did not ring a bell. The more she repeated it inwardly, the more awkward it sounded to her. Lara Croft, she tasted it again without saying it out loud.

"Don't trouble your pretty head about this. I'll take care of it. All you need to think about is the book." He pulled a piece of cloth away from the drawer and the golden book appeared in front of them. Lara's eyes instinctively moved there, watching it intently. It magnetised her, attracted her, fascinated her without knowing the reason why. "You and I… we'll do the impossible and no one can stop us. Right?"

Lara slowly moved her gaze away from the book. First only her head turned as if the book did not let her stare go, then her hazel eyes followed as well. "Right," she said simply.

Kowalski stood up, stepped closer. His hand rose in the air, hesitantly approaching her face. "You're gonna help me," he whispered softly, keeping his eyes on her features. "Because this is your destiny." His fingers finally touched her skin lightly, but in the same moment he pulled his hand back. "I'll take care of that guy, you're never gonna see him again."

Lara watched him turn and leave the room. She let out a sigh. Still standing there, she raised the gun her hand was still holding. The fingers of her left hand slowly glided over the shiny barrel of the Desert Eagle. The only familiar thing in her life. Why did it mean so much to her? Kowalski had told her, she had had an accident. Memories. A strange feeling having none. Lara tried to concentrate, but nothing came back to her mind from earlier. Waking up in a hotel room was her first recollection and before that there was blank darkness in her head. She raised the gun to eye level, pointing it at the mirror in front of her. Tilting her head a bit to the side, she fixed her gaze on her mirror image that looked back at her curiously as if asking who she was. For seconds she was standing there, staring at her reflection with the gun in her hand. It was her. It must be true.

"No one will stop us," she whispered in a soft, cold voice and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked empty. Again and again.


	7. Chapter 7

"What's going on here?" Eddie stepped into the room through the door leading to the adjoining one. His eyes quickly scanned everything, measuring his possibilities. The two men were standing next to the kneeling man. Simon Hanningham, Eddie thought to himself. The Englishman who was in love with Lara Croft. They both knew this. And Lara Croft was in love with him. She did not know that. What an awkward situation. What an irony of life. After all that they had been through in Panama, they ended up like this.

"Kowalski doesn't need him anymore," one of the men said, pulling out a gun from under his black jacket that could hardly cover his broad chest.

"Are you two out of your minds?" Eddie looked at them coldly. "What are you planning to do with the body?"

They both looked at him hesitantly, then shrugged. No wonder, Eddie thought irritably. Muscles usually did not come together with a brain.

"Get out. I'll take care of him," he ordered. The men dithered for a few seconds, but seemingly Eddie had enough power to command them around. The first one slowly tucked the gun back into his jacket, looked at the other, then without a word they walked out of the room, leaving Eddie and Simon alone.

"You bastard," Simon grunted, raising his head a bit to look at the younger agent. His whole appearance radiated health. His face was tanned, his blue eyes shining with interest.

"You're not the grateful kind, am I right? But Englishmen never show their emotions very easily," he smiled a bit.

"You'll see it in a bit how I feel, but you won't be happy about that," Simon threatened, pulling his shoulder to try to free his hands, but he did not manage. Eddie studied him for a moment, looking straight into his eyes. Some broken sadness mixing with boiling rage. That was what he could see in there. Back in Panama things had been different, but then Eddie had met Lara. The first moment he had cast a glance at her, he had known she was special. A woman he had never experienced before, a woman in every sense. Tough, witty, strong and incredibly sexy. Then Simon had come into the picture and Lara had changed completely. Eddie had needed some time to understand why but he respected love when he saw it. There he had seen it. It had been raging, wild, uncontrolled, but it had been definitely love.

"You need to trust me now." Eddie stepped closer, cutting the rope on his wrists.

"Trust you?" Simon caught his shirt again, pulling Eddie close to him. "You tell me to trust you? After this?"

"I had no choice," he shook his head slightly. "Would you have believed me, if I told you that Lara didn't remember anything? If I told you that she believed to be on Kowalski's side? That he made her think they were the good ones?

"This can't be." Simon let his arm down submissively.

"You had to see it with your own eyes," Eddie continued. "I'm sorry about this, but I didn't want to reveal myself."

"He could have shot me," Simon answered accusingly.

"But he didn't. This is a hotel after all. Kowalski is no fool." Eddie hurried over to the door, opened it a crack and peered out the corridor. "We have no time." He gave Simon a mobile phone. "I'll inform you about everything, keep low until then. We need to arrange that you meet Lara alone. You need to remind her of who she is."

"I don't trust you," Simon grunted.

"I know," Eddie looked at him, taking a gun out of his belt. "But you have no other choice if you want to help Lara." They eyes met, measuring each other for a few seconds. Eddie knew saying her name would do it. No matter how tough and strong this guy looked, there was a gentle glint in his dark eyes when he heard her name.

"What's in it for you?" Simon asked in a low voice, not taking his eyes off Eddie.

"Believe it or not, I care for her." Simon's eyes narrowed when Eddie said that. "Not the way you think. Do we have to discuss this now?" he jabbered. "I only want to help and do my job. And now hit me."

Simon raised a brow at his request.

"I'll have to explain it somehow that you've escaped," he said in a worried voice. It was a dangerous offer, he knew that. Telling a man who looked at him like that to hit him was indeed madness.

"If you..," but Eddie cut in.

"I know, I know… you'll find me, you'll kill me, blah, blah. I've heard. And now do it." He held his head closer, waiting for him to react. Simon hesitated for a moment. As much as he had been waiting for this chance, now he could not justify it. This damn guy who had almost taken her from him. No, probably this was not true. Even in that moment in the bar when Lara had been dancing with Eddie, she had not wanted him and the night afterwards had proved it very well. She had always wanted Simon. Always. Drawing in a deep breath, Simon raised his fist and punched Eddie in the face. Not too strong, but strong enough to cause some visible injury. The side of his mouth bruised, some blood appearing in the corner of it. "Damn it, " Eddie cursed and almost lost his balance. Pressing his hand on his face, he stumbled back. "And now get out of here and wait for my call."

Simon nodded and sneaked out of the room.

...

Lara sat down at the desk and traced a finger over the cover of the golden book. Had she ever touched it before? She could not remember. Why? Having no memories simply drove her crazy. Fixing her eyes on the book, she tried to recall something about it, but the more she forced it, the less it worked. She pressed her fist to her eyes. What if no memories would ever reappear? It did not matter, she decided resolutely.

Then she would start a new life. Simply open a new book with a blank first page and have her own experiences. Wouldn't many people kill for such a chance? Obviously her life could not have been boring, but who knew. From now on it would not be.

Lara Croft, she repeated her name in her head. It still did not mean anything to her. It could have been just anyone. But she was not just anyone, Kowalski had told her. She was tough, strong, smart and uncompassionate. That's what he had told her. Lara gave it a thought. When she had held that gun in her hand, it had felt right. As if it belonged there. She closed her eyes for a moment and suddenly saw herself… somewhere… sometime… like a flash from the past. Or was it just a fantasy? She, standing there… somewhere, firing a gun. The same gun. But she could not see anything else. Neither where she had been, nor why she had been shooting. It confused her a little.

_Nothing will stop us_… she heard Kowalski's words again in her head. No, that one guy would not stand in their ways and Kowalski would take care of him anyway. No mistake was allowed.

She opened the laptop in front of her, watching the screen for a while with interest. Kowalski had told her, she would be good at this. Research, obtaining information, artefacts, ancient knowledge, treasures. Supposedly she was an archaeologist. Kind of. Maybe, she thought.

Driven by curiosity, she typed her name into Google. All she found were a few short articles, but nothing exciting. Obviously she had kept a low profile. It made sense when she thought of the gun. Not all her methods could have been legal, but everything great demanded sacrifices and the end justified the means.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to pick up the bag lying next to the desk. It was full with papers, notes, copied excerpts of books. Kowalski had told her, she had collected all this about the golden book. Lara shrugged. It could have been true, she did not remember having done that. She opened the first booklet, the pages were filled with neat hand-writing. Just out of curiosity, she took a pen and wrote down a few words on a piece of paper. It looked the same. So it had been really her.

She started to read, but it did not sound familiar at all. Not at all. The further she got with it, the more excited she became. It felt good, strangely good. Ancient Greece, the Book of Gods. She raised her head, looking over to the golden book lying next to her.

"So you're the Book of Gods," she whispered. The Book of Gods. Nothing came to her mind about it at the moment. Should she know something about it? She heard faint knocking, turned towards the door. Kowalski stepped in.

"I can see you're taking your time to regain your knowledge," he said, coming closer.

"It's like something completely new for me. I have no idea what I was talking about back then," Lara answered in annoyance. Shutting the booklet close, she heaved a nerved sigh.

"Patience, darling," he tried to calm her, putting both hands on her tense shoulders. His touch felt familiar and strange at the same time. "I can help you with that. We've found the book months ago, but didn't know we needed to get something else too to be able to use it," he continued patiently. Lara did not turn around.

"What is that something else?" she asked curiously. It felt so damn familiar.

"The armour of Achilles." His hands slipped off her shoulders, he walked a bit further away from her. Lara stood up, looking at him intently.

"Why do you need me if you know all this already?"

"You've found this out. It's all in there," he nodded to the pile of papers. "And you're the only one who can get the armour for me… for us," he corrected himself. Lara narrowed her eyes. His words flattered her, raised her interest. It sounded like a challenge and it felt so damn familiar. Something deep inside her stirred and climbed slowly up her spine, not letting her ignore it. The Book of Gods, the Armour of Achilles. She did not know why, but she had to have them. Lara wanted them.

Raising her head, eyes glinting, she went to pick up the gun from the drawer. "Tell me where it is and I'll bring it to you."


	8. Chapter 8

"What is it?" Lara pulled black leather gloves on her hands, looking at him questioningly. Kowalski was watching her from the corner of his eyes while they were sitting on the back seat of his car. His glance was somehow strange, Lara did not know what to make out of it.

"Nothing, darling," he answered, turning to look out the window into the dark night, watching the well-lit, flat building of the National Archaeological Museum. It looked small from the distance, like a miniature of a building. The huge columns on the front side appeared to be a grate closing the entrance.

"Are you worried?" Lara laced her fingers to push the gloves into place. She was wearing all black, clothes as tight as a second skin. "I told you I could do this."

"Don't worry, I trust you." Kowalski was pondering. Was it a good idea to let Lara Croft go alone? But he had seen no sign of her remembering anything so far. When he looked into her brown eyes, there was no hint of hostility in them. She would not be able to hide it so well. Not after all that had happened between them in the cave. No, she did not remember anything, he decided and dismissed the idea of sending someone with her. He must not raise her suspicion of him not trusting her completely. Of her thinking they were not a well-functioning team that had always worked together. Let alone, he must not endanger getting the spear. The more people sneaked into the museum, the bigger the risk was that they would get caught. And Lara Croft was the best. The very best. "I trust you as I always have," he added in a syrupy voice. "We will get the armour and reveal the secrets of that book. Isn't that what you want?" He took her hand into his, a bit disappointed not to feel her skin on his. Lara Croft was indeed special, he thought.

"You and I…" Her eyes narrowed, a cold smile appearing in the corner of her mouth that made her look so damn wicked in his eyes. Just as he liked her. "It is what I want," she said in a resolute voice and it was not even a lie. She wanted the armour. She wanted the book. This odd need in her, this weird urge to possess them, to unveil their secret. It was so tempting, so alluring. The idea was planted in her head and it did not let go. Why she made no thoughts about it that breaking into a museum was not something a nice person would do she did not know. Maybe she was not a nice person after all. Nice people did not keep a gun in their drawers. Nice people did not feel like that gun belonged into their hands. Nice people did not feel this bizarre need to commit a crime. Lara remembered that flash that had appeared in her head that afternoon. She, shooting that gun. Had she shot at someone?

"Bring me that spear." He raised her hand to his mouth, but his lips did not touch the soft leather. It was a simple gesture of admiration and she appreciated it. Kowalski flashed an evil smile as he looked up at her and when their eyes met, he knew Lara was on his side. He simply knew. What if she never got back her memories? The thought was appealing indeed. Keeping her as a partner forever… wouldn't that be something to consider?

"I will," she said and stepped out of the car. When she closed the door, the darkened window hid her slender figure almost totally from his view. She simply melted into the night.

Sneaking in the dark, being dressed in black felt so damn familiar to Lara. Had she done that before? When she closed her eyes for a moment she saw herself in an empty museum at night. She stopped in her tracks. Was that a memory? Or just her mind playing games with her? Lara swallowed and continued towards the building, staying in the shadows. Why did she know how to break into a museum? Why had she not even given it a thought if she was able to?

She took the rope, threw it up to the roof and climbed up with fluid, gentle moves. No efforts. Kowalski had shown her the plans of the security system, so she knew exactly where to go and what to avoid. She cut the glass, fixed the rope again and descended into the main room. Hanging about five meters high in the air, she peered around. Everything was silent, faint light covered the sculptures under her. Every single piece was outlined by tiny lamps. Lara took the goggles out of her bag and put it on. The laser beams crossed the room as spider webs, but they did not hinder her. With skilful moves she avoided them all, crawled, jumped, gracefully climbed over or under them. It felt so damn familiar. The spark of excitement, the adrenaline rushing in her blood, the sensation of being smarter than those who had built the system. The closer she got to the show-case holding the spear, the stronger the longing of possessing it was becoming.

Her gloved hand reached into her bag, fishing out an exact replica of the spear-head. Moving closer, her eyes fixed on that antique piece of metal, not seeing anything else around her though there were thousands of beautiful shreds of history in the room. Memories of an ancient time. She stopped in front of the case, but did not touch the glass. The spear-head in her hand and the one behind the glass looked exactly the same, but Lara knew the difference. A worthless piece of iron versus an incredible piece of art.

Paying attention to everything, she cut the glass again. Her hand moved in through the hole with agonizing slowness, but she did not want to rush. It was a feeling of… she did not find the word to describe it. She enjoyed it. Oh yes, she did.

"Lara?" someone suddenly talked from a dark corner. Lara froze, but did not make the mistake to touch the sensors inside the show-case.

"Who are you?" She looked up, trying to make out the figure standing there. The man stepped forward, one of the small lamps cast light on his face. "You?" Lara frowned, seeing the familiar face.

"Don't do this," he said softly, not going any closer. Lara's hand slipped out through the hole, this time holding the original spear-head. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to face him.

"You're supposed to be dead." Her voice was cold, emotionless. It hurt him more than any weapon could. How was she able to look at him like that? So blank, detached as if they did not mean anything to each other. As if they had never met in their lives.

"Lara, please listen to me," he pleaded, his hand reaching out in the air. "You've been deceived. Kowalski has lied to you, he's been lying all the time."

She watched him. Intently. Lara Croft was standing there, looking the same as always, but still so different. Her eyes were different. There was a cold, callous glint in them that made her seem so altered, so unlike her. Her lips slowly curved into icy, ironic smile.

"Kowalski told me you would try this. He knew very well that you would try to make use of my state of mind." She talked very slowly, mockingly emphasizing every word in a way that made Simon shiver. "He told me everything about you." She took a few steps forward as if completely forgetting about where they were. Her hand tucked the spear into her bag, pulling out the gun instead.

"Lara, please." Simon was simply unable to believe what he was seeing. The Lara he had known was gone and there was a stranger in front of him. A stranger he loved. How the hell was this possible? Why the hell had this happen? "You really don't remember me? Us?"

"What are you talking about?" she eyed him suspiciously, tilting her head to the side as she always did when she was thinking. "Stop lying to me." Her voice rose a tiny bit, getting a bit harsher. It was not the emotion Simon wanted, but at least it was an emotion. "I don't know you."

The words stabbed into him again. How could she forget about those days? Those nights? Those moments they had shared. Simon would have loved to sink to his knees and beg her.

"Don't say that… it's me, Simon." He did not move, but squeezed his lips together when she stopped in front of him, only three meters away. Measuring him from head to toe, she looked over him, but her expression did not change a bit. That tender glance did not return and Simon thought to go crazy when she watched him with that cold stare. The gun in her hand slowly rose in the air, pointing at him blankly.

"I don't know you," she repeated, her voice not more than a soft whisper in the dark. "You're against me, and everyone between me and my target must be eliminated."

Could this be her words? Could those lips utter this heartless statement? Simon felt helpless and alone as if all warmness had left the world.

"You won't shoot me. You can't shoot me," he said, but he was unsure. He had never seen her like that, this was not Lara. Not the Lara he knew. Not that gentle woman who had loved him so passionately. Could that soft side of her be erased like this? Without any hint of ever existing? Would that be possible? If the answer was yes, he would not want to live anymore. Not without her. Not without the Lara he loved.

"I wouldn't bet on it," she said, her finger gliding to the trigger. Their eyes met, his dark ones meeting her lighter brown and there was no hope in them. Simon expected her to remember if they met face to face. If he could talk to her, but there was no sign of any memory. "Why do you follow me?" she started to blink when she said those words. Pictures rushed back to her mind. Pictures of herself standing in a small room… with him. Saying the same words, the same angry words. The air tense between them. Snapping. They were fighting, arguing. He looked at her with piercing eyes, anger in them. As if willing to hit her. No, no, she shook her head, letting the gun down a bit. All confused, she backed a few steps, pressing her fingers to her temples.

"Lara, you must…"

"No," she shouted angrily. "I don't know you." She snatched the gun up again, and mercilessly pulled the trigger. The bullet smashed into one of the showcases next to Simon, breaking it into a million tiny shards. The deafening shriek of the alarm filled the building at once. Simon hurled to the floor, covering his head with his arm to keep the glass away. She did it. She did shoot at him. He could not believe it. He did not want to believe it. For a moment he even forgot about it that he was a criminal, breaking into a museum at night. He felt as if the world had ended for him.

When he raised his head again, Lara was gone, but he could still see her in front of him, standing there with that threatening gun in her hand. Looking at him with those cruel eyes. He did not know which of the two was worse. Probably her heartless gaze hurt him more than a bullet ever could. Simon closed his eyes and sank into self-pity for a moment.

"You there." He heard a rough voice behind him and the lights suddenly turned on. "Spread your arms on the floor and don't move."


	9. Chapter 9

"Beautiful." Kowalski held the spear-head on his palm, looking at it in an almost hypnotized way. His finger gently slid over its surface, completely forgetting about his surrounding for a moment. It was the first step. The first step to reach what he had always wanted. Unlimited power, to do whatever he wanted to and no one would ever be able to stop him. The world would be lying at his feet and Lara Croft would be the means to reach it. Wasn't it an irony of life that the woman who had been against him was not helping him? And she helped him without even being threatened. God, he loved fate for handing her over to him so easily.

"He was there… in the museum," Lara said suddenly.

"Who?" Kowalski looked up. When their eyes met, he saw the question her eyes were holding. The answer was so obvious, but he wanted to wait for it.

"That man you wanted me to meet. What was his name again?" Lara walked over to the window, but she kept her gaze on Kowalski's face. The man did not show any emotion. Neither worry, nor anger.

"He's not important. That idiot Eddie let him escape before we were able to get rid of him." He went closer. "I'm sorry about that, my dear. I really didn't want him to bother you."

"He told me something and suddenly I saw images in my head… of myself with him. Have I ever met him before?" she looked a bit confused, sat down to an armchair and waited for an answer. Kowalski hesitated for a moment.

"What did you see?" he asked cautiously. He wanted to know every detail before he would think about an answer.

"I don't know… he was angry. Threatened me. It was tense and… was this a memory? Do I know him?" Uncertainty appeared in those hazel eyes for a moment. Not good, not good, Kowalski thought irritably. He did not want her to remember him. That damn guy could ruin everything and he would not let it happen. Oh, he had known so well, he should not have let her go in there alone. It would not happen again. But he had to be careful not to arouse her suspicion.

"I told you, this man has been tailing us for months now. He tries to hinder us. He wants the armour for himself. You can't let him influence you. Remember, you and I… we have the same goals. He's only a burden we will get rid of." He reached out, holding his hand towards her. "Come, Lara. We need to keep moving."

Lara took the hand he offered and he pulled her up from the chair. Moving her hand closer to his lips, this time he lightly kissed the tip of her fingers. "You're the one I've been always waiting for," he whispered, gently caressing her hand with his lips. When he raised his look at her again, there was something strange in her eyes. A mixture of vagueness and resolution, and he was unsure which one would win. "You're wicked and I love that. Someone like that guy has never held you back," he added with a cold smile and Lara's expression changed back to what he wanted.

"He won't stop us, I'll make sure of that," she promised, holding her head high. "Next time I'll kill him."

Watching her face, his smile widened. That was exactly what he wanted to reach. If Lara killed that man, there would be nothing in his way. Nothing and no one. If she killed him herself, it would erase any chance of her to remember him in the future. He would make sure she would never meet anyone again who could remind her of anything in her past. No more Croft Manor, no more Lady Croft. Lara Croft would be his forever. Forever.

"Where is the next piece?" Lara asked in a measured voice. The same resolution returned to her voice, there was no sign of the previous insecurities.

"There." Kowalski pointed at a small island on the map that was spread on the bed. There was a thick, red circle around it.

"Do you know the exact location?" Lara leaned closer to study the map. Santorini, she thought. It sounded familiar, but she could not remember when she had been there. If at all.

"Yes. The shield is the next one we need to get. It's hidden in an old shrine of Ares, god of war."

"Ares," she pondered. "Insatiable in battle, destructive, and man-slaughtering," she remembered the description she had read somewhere. For a moment she wavered. How could it be she remembered such things, but not who she was. Not her past, her own acts, her own feelings. Her head was full of useless data, but she could not recall where she had lived before, who were the people she had known. What was her favourite book? Maybe she did not read at all. People who broke into museums and shot at others usually were no literature freaks. But how else would she know all this? Why did she feel this constant anger that wanted to burst out of her? Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down.

"It won't be easy, but you can do it," he kept flattering her and it worked. The smile returned to her face and she turned to him with a satisfied expression.

"Of course. When do we start?" The urge was back. The shield of Achilles hidden in the temple of Ares. Of course. This time it was different and she knew why. The spear-head piqued her interest, but it was something that had been exhibited in a museum. Someone else had found it before. But the shield. No one had ever touched it since the ancient times and she would be the first. That man… Simon if she remembered well… he would not take it from her.

"Right now, darling. There's no time to waste. You'll love it." He let her hand go and turned to leave. "I'll see you in fifteen minutes," he added from the door. "Be ready."

"You bet I will." She took the gun and put in her backpack.

...

One phone call. That was all they had allowed him. Simon had used it well and now he only had to wait for the result.

Holding his head in his hands, he was sitting on the edge of the useless bunk that was supposed to function as a bed in that god damned place. Greek prison. Not something he wanted to see from inside, but he had no choice. Normally, fighting those two guards would not have caused any trouble for him, but after the encounter with Lara, Simon could not think clear. The confusion in his head simple ruled out every practical thought that would have helped him in the situation.

Her ruthless stare had left him broken, the fact that she had been able to shoot at him devastated him. It was not the bullet that could have hurt him, it was her. Simon tried to convince himself that it had not been Lara shooting. At least not the Lara he knew. But believing it was really hard when he still saw her pretty face in front of him. This time though that pretty face was not smiling at him. It was not holding that loving look. It looked heartless and cold-blooded and he still loved her. Still adored her. Still craved to hold her.

Seeing her like this was tearing him apart, but Simon could not give up. Not till he had her back. Not till she remembered all those things they had shared. The good things, the bad things, everything. That last night they had spent together. A bitter smile appeared on his face when he remembered her lying in his bed that morning. She had been so beautiful, so gorgeous. Like a goddess he could never stop worshipping. Those months they had spent separated had felt like hell. Every day it had been her on his mind. Every single second of the day. He did not know how Lara could have taken him back after he had behaved like an idiot with her, but it had been reality. They had been back together and it had been even more wonderful. He could not live without her anymore.

He raised his head when he heard some noise from the other side of the prison bars. A guard appeared at the end of the corridor, his steps echoed as he walked down the sterile place. He nodded to the other who stayed there, then pushed some buttons on the wall. The mechanism came to life and the electric door of the prison cell slowly opened. For a moment Simon did not move.

"You're free to leave," the guard said in a disapproving voice, in broken English. He hated these guys. They committed some crime then called someone and walked out of the prison without any consequences. Damn politicians, he thought. He had no idea who the man in the cell was, but he knew he had broken into a museum. Into a Greek museum. And now he was allowed to walk away. The guard watched Simon with disgust as he rose from the bunk and started walking towards him. When Simon got there, he stepped out of his way. Their eyes met and the guard could see something in them that confused him. It was not the usual arrogant look of someone who had tricked justice. It was some incredible sadness, some deep suffering. He walked slowly, but somehow knowing what he was doing.

Simon knew exactly what he was doing. He would be saving Lara, no matter what it would take. He was thinking and came to the conclusion that the only way to get her back would be if he forced her back to England. Even if he had to use violence. There was no other way. He would get her the best doctors of the world, tell her every second of their lives if necessary, but he had to get her back. Had to take her away from Kowalski.

As soon as he stepped out of the police building, he jumped into a taxi and told the driver the address of the hotel. Even if he had to fight his way through a whole army, he would get her out of there. He rushed into the lobby and not caring about the receptionist, ran to the elevator. When Eddie had let him go, he had carved every turn, every corridor into his brain. He knew the number of the room, he would have found it with closed eyes.

When he saw the number on the door, he kicked it open without hesitation, being prepared to fight anyone who was inside, but there was no one. The room looked tidy, clean and empty. Most of all empty. He hurried through the main room, into the bedroom, but there was no one. No sign of anyone ever being in there. Had he made a mistake? No, that could not be. All mixed-up, he looked around once more. Had they left? How the hell would he ever find her again? When he crushed down to the edge of the bed, he heard some crumpling sound. Frowning, he stood up again and tore the bed cover to the side.

"Son of a bitch," he murmured, holding the map with the red circle in his hands. "Santorini," he whispered, and hoping that he alone could move faster than Kowalski with all his men, he rushed out of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Lara was standing at the edge of the terrace of a snow-white building. The view was simply amazing. The clear blue sea, the sun rising at the horizon, painting a reddish stripe on the surface of the water. When she looked down, the forms of the black volcanic rocks slowly emerged from the semi-darkness of the dawn. She just stood there and enjoyed the view for a moment, not remembering if she had ever done that before. Would her life be like this? Travelling from one place to another without ever taking pleasure in the simple things in life? Without ever resting to listen to her feelings? Lara tried to concentrate, but her head felt empty and confused at the same time. Her hand moved to the hilt of the gun at her side and rested there.

"Are you ready?" Kowalski said behind her, stepping out to the terrace as well. "I don't want to waste time."

Lara did not turn around, but closed her eyes for a moment. Yes, she was ready. The same thrilling urge developed in her again, just like she had felt before breaking into the museum. Only this time it was stronger.

"Yes," she said simply, and let go of the gun she was still holding. The only familiar thing. She watched the sun rise until the light of it became too strong to bear. "I want that shield." She turned to face Kowalski, surprised to see another man standing next to him who she had never seen before. Or did she know him? Lara had no idea. "Who are you?"

"This is Gustav," Kowalski answered instead of him. "He will help you with this one." He did not want to make the same mistake again and let her go alone. That nerving MI6 agent could be around. Though they did not leave any trace behind, he did not want to risk anything. Gustav would know what to do if the guy appeared again.

Lara stepped closer, measuring the man with interest. Her eyes moved down his figure as she approached very slowly without saying a word. She looked like a curious child. Suddenly she tossed the shoulder of the man and with the same fluid move she swept out his feet so he landed hard on his back with a loud groan. A wicked smile appeared on her face.

"You're joking, right?" Her brown eyes searched for Kowalski's while she placed a foot on the man's stomach to keep him on the ground. "This man is useless. I don't want him to hinder me."

Kowalski kept her gaze for a few seconds, then returned the smile she offered. God, he loved her way of settling things. So simple, so amazing. Every moment he spent with her made him more and more certain that she had been born for this. To achieve the incredible, to shine like a diamond. Like a raw diamond he would transform to his own use.

"All right," he surrendered. It would be a mistake to lose her trust and he could not afford this now. "I only meant to help you," he lied and took her hand again, pulling her away from the man who was lying on the ground. "You know very well what's at stake and I'm sure you won't disappoint me."

"I've never disappointed you so far." When his hand slipped to her waist, Lara closed her eyes and Kowalski retreated right away. This was dangerous, he thought. She must not see someone else in front of her. Lara Croft attracted him the way he had never known before, but getting the armour was more important. He must not let his instincts ruin everything.

"No, you haven't," he answered, moving a bit further. "You know what to do when that guy shows up again, don't you?"

Lara nodded in agreement and raised her gun towards the sea. Just standing there for a while, she kept her eyes on the horizon. "I'll kill him."

...

Moving down the side of the mountain, Lara was trying to avoid any bigger rocks that could have been an obstacle with the rope she was using. She was sliding down gracefully, hardly stopping for a moment until she reached the water level. The careful waves of the sea were licking the surface of the rocks, gently finding their way through every little crack and opening. Lara detached the rope from her waist and left it there. Cautiously she inched forward, placing one foot after the other not to slip. The shrine Kowalski had talked about was supposed to be near. She just had to find the entrance. A thin opening caught her eyes between two big, black rocks. She raised her head for a last time to glimpse Kowalski standing up there before she squeezed herself in there. It was dark, wet, and narrow. She stopped immediately when images rushed through her head.

A dark pit… water… maybe rain. Mud. She fell… she could feel how she fell. The sludge covered her for a moment, she went under. Lara pressed her hands to her temples and froze. No… what was that she was seeing? It was raining and raining. The top of the pit was out of reach… out of reach… she was trapped. Flashes appeared in front of her eyes and suddenly he joined the images she was seeing. The same man from the museum. The same angry look. Fight, struggle, they wrestled in the mud, he pushed her down… it was over as abruptly as it began. Lara was standing there, her body squeezed between to walls, her chest heaving heavily.

"Damn it," she cursed aloud. What the hell was that? Why did she see these images? Why did she see this man again and again? What did he want from her? Was it real at all or only her imagination was playing with her? She drew in a deep breath to calm down. These flashes troubled her and she did not know the reason why. Forcing her mind to something else, she moved on. She had to forget about this. That man only haunted her to keep her away from the armour and she would not let this happen. It would be hers.

After crawling through another shaft, the place got a bit wider and Lara could stand up to move her flashlight around the area. She could hardly see anything, but spotted the carvings on the wall right away. It was written in Greek letters.

_Ares, exceeding in strength, chariot-rider, golden-helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer, Saviour of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unwearying, mighty with the spear, _Lara read the writing fluently though she had no idea why she was able to translate the unknown letters. Her index finger touched the old engravings, tracing the letters one by one. Astonishing, she thought silently.

"This must be it," she decided and moved on. When she arrived to some stairs, she carefully descended, keeping the flashlight in front of her. The stairs bent to the right and after she followed the curve, Lara stopped in amazement. Her hand instinctively reached for something in her pocket, but there was nothing. Oddly enough, she felt as if she had to document this unique view somehow. For a second she wavered, but then she forgot about it. As if mesmerized, Lara descended the stairs. The room in front of her was covered by the yellowish light of a dozen torches. The stairs forked at the entrance, leading down in both directions and ended in front of a huge statue. It was carved of marble, showing Ares in his best form. Young, strong, handsome, god-like. Not only god-like. He actually was a god. His striking face was holding a strong expression though. Lara could not move her eyes away from the statue. For a moment some unknown, but yet familiar sensation filled her as she moved closer. It was a beautiful piece of history and all hers.

In that moment she realised something was wrong. Her eyes narrowed, the awe disappeared from her face and irritation took its place. The statue was supposed to hold the shield and it was not. Forgetting about herself for a moment, she ventured closer, not even looking behind her.

"I've been waiting for you," the far too familiar voice talked from under the stairs. Lara spun around and found herself facing the man that was haunting her for days now.

"You again," she whispered in a low voice and reached for her gun, finding it odd that he did not attempt anything similar. The man was just standing there, watching her intensely and did not try to protect himself. "Where is the shield?" Lara asked not even doubting for a second it had been him hiding it.

"You won't find it," Simon answered and stepped a bit closer. Lara pointed her gun at him, but he did not stop. "Lara, listen to me." His voice was so tender, so captivating and she had no idea why. She did not want to hear what he wanted to say.

"Stop talking," she interrupted him. "Just show me where the shield is. Just give it to me and I'll let you go." He took a step again, his eyes holding her gaze. Lara remembered those images. He, fighting with her. In a room, in a dark, muddy pit. And now this man was standing in front of her again and she would kill him. Yes, she would. But not until he told her about the shield. "Show me," she hissed, threatening him with the gun again, but he did not stop. When he stood in front of her, the gun touched his chest.

"Please. Try to remember," he looked at her so deeply, sadness in his eyes.

"No!" Lara shouted, the gun shook in her hand. "Give me the shield. You won't stop me." Her finger slid to the trigger, her lips were squeezed together tightly.

"You can't shoot me. You couldn't shoot me in the museum either," he continued and Lara hated to hear these words. No one would stop her. Not this guy, not another. No one. Still she felt that she was unable to pull the trigger. Only because she had to know where the shield was, she tried to convince herself. Once he told her, she would kill him. "You can't shoot me," he repeated and his hand touched hers that was holding the gun. In that moment it felt as if a lightning struck her. Those disturbing images rushed back to her mind, blinding her, torturing her and she did not know how to fight against them. Her strength left her, she stumbled back a bit, pressing her hands to her temples again.

"No, stop it. Whatever you're doing to me, stop it," she shouted, keeping her eyes on the ground not to see him.

"You need to come with me. Come with me back to England." He reached a hand towards her, but Lara backed away.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Lara was drawing back as if fearing him. How could this man have such an effect on her? She was tough. Yeah, she was not afraid of him. He could not scare her. No, he could not. But those images. Damn it, damn it. She almost lost her balance when her back bumped into the statue behind her. Hardening herself, she collected all her will-power and held the gun high. It was slightly shaking in her hand, not knowing if fear or anger made her do so.

"Please," he kept pleading in a soft voice. "Listen to me."

"No!" she cut in sharply. "I'm not going to listen to you. You just want to confuse me." Lara raised the gun to eye level, narrowing her eyes on him. "I have to kill you."

Simon held her gaze, fear piercing through him. It could not be that Kowalski had managed to turn her against him. The time they had spent together could not have been erased so easily. Without a trace. There had to be something… something to make her remember. To make those brown eyes look at him as they had before. To get back the Lara he knew. He needed her so desperately.

Lara's finger slowly moved to the trigger, but she wavered. Why couldn't she do it when she wanted it so much. This guy was holding her back. Of course, the shield, she reminded herself. She must not kill him until she knew where it was.

"Do it," a voice suddenly talked from the entrance and when Lara looked up, Kowalski appeared at the top of the stairs. "Kill him and end this whole misery. You'll feel so much better." His voice sounded cold and amused and Lara felt the urge to obey him. Her eyes moved back to her opponent and his stare suddenly gave her a shudder. It was so familiar. Of course, it was, she kept telling herself. He had tried to kill her several times. Those images she was seeing again and again must mean something. "Kill him!" Kowalski's voice travelled down the room, echoing from every wall, filling her mind.

"I can't," Lara said quietly and lowered the gun. An incredible relief rushed through Simon. So she did remember him. She must remember something. "He hid the shield, we can't kill him until we know where it is," Lara continued in a cold voice and turned away from him, walking over to Kowalski, who stood there with a slightly stunned face. The words felt like a slap in the face for Simon. He was just standing there, with his back to everyone else and did not want to believe his ears. "But I'll get it out of him," Lara said, her detached, emotionless self returning again. All Simon felt was a blow on the back of his head and he did not even care.


	11. Chapter 11

The calm waving of the blue sea, the almost blinding white buildings on the black rocks. Lara watched them with awe on her face from the back of the ship she was standing on. The calmness around her stood in sharp contrast with her storming emotions. Why the hell did she feel this pounding rage in her? Damn it, she slammed a fist on the bannister she was leaning on. She felt angry because of being crossed. How had that guy known where to look for her? How had he been able to get the shield before her?

No one can stop us, she remembered Kowalski's words that suddenly sounded so distant, but he was right. This guy would not stop them. Her. Rage filled her when she thought of the images he had brought to her mind. All that fighting, that tension, that open hate. Lara was unsure if she wanted to know what had happened between them. Obviously they were enemies and that was enough to know. It did not matter what that guy had done to her in the past, now he would suffer for it. She turned around, only realising in that moment that Kowalski was standing behind her in the shadow of the entrance.

It was his ship, a big cargo one with blue, metallic structures. Lara felt awkward there, but she did not know why. She had a strange feeling that she had used to use ships… rather boats before, but she could not recall what for. It was slim, white, gracious… or had she seen that in a magazine? A pounding headache started to build inside her.

"I want to talk to him," she said, pressing her hands against her temples.

"No, darling. That's not your job. I have men for that, they will get it out of him where he hid the shield in no time. Don't trouble yourself with that." No way he would let her in there, Kowalski thought irritably. It was bad enough that Simon Hanningham showed up again, he would not let Lara meet him alone. That was out of question. He forced a smile to his face. "I'll take care of that as always. You concentrate on the book."

"No," Lara snapped, making a puzzled expression appear on Kowalski's face. "I want to talk to him." This time she pulled her hand away when Kowalski reached out for her and she walked back to the end of the ship. They were anchored a few hundreds meter away from the shore, the island of Santorini seemed small and distant. Only a black and white spot in the middle of the endless blue.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Kowalski did not go any closer, he wanted to wait for her to calm down a bit. Ever since the accident he had not seen her so wound up. What happened? Would she remember anything? That would be tragic at the current situation. Kowalski knew he needed to make a few precautions for the case this would occur. "That guy has far too much influence on you. He just makes use of you not remembering anything to confuse your mind."

"Can my mind get any more confused?" Lara asked back angrily. She had no idea who she was, troubling images haunted her more and more often, and they left an utter chaos behind in her head. A chaos that made her want to scream. Maybe it was true what Kowalski had said. Maybe that man tried to confuse her, but then she wanted to end it. Here and now. She felt her dark, angry side of her taking control of her mind again. "Why don't you let me handle this? What are you hiding from me?" she looked at him sharply, turning around once more.

"Nothing." Kowalski put his hands up in surrender. "You misunderstand me, darling." His tone was becoming softer and softer again and it made Lara mad. "I only want your best."

"You don't trust me?" she asked in a cold voice.

"Of course I trust you." Damn it, Kowalski cursed inwardly. This was not going in the right direction for sure and he had no idea how to prevent the inevitable.

"Then give me half an hour and don't stand in my way." Lara pushed him aside and tore the heavy metal door of the ship open. Sending a last, menacing look towards Kowalski, she disappeared inside the ship.

Lara hurried along the narrow corridor, her steps echoed hollowly on the metallic surface. After descending some steep stairs, she went deeper into the ship. Deeper down, deeper in, until she felt like getting closer to the bottom. The air was becoming hotter, she heard the immense machinery working and steam releasing from time to time. Her hand slipped to the holsters on her thighs to touch the weapon that was kept there. It calmed her down to feel it. Every now and then she met someone from the crew, they all looked at her curiously. Seeing a beautiful, young woman down there did not happen every day.

The closer she got, the more deafening the noise became. Lara cleared her forehead with one wipe of her hand. Anger was boiling in her with the same intensity as the machines were working with. Huge power, vast tension. She stopped when she glimpsed the armed men in front of another metallic door. There were two yellow lights above the door, casting strange shadows on their faces.

"I'm here to talk to him," she said in a measured voice. The two men looked at each other a bit puzzled, not really knowing how to react. They were ordered not to let in anyone when Kowalski was not there, but they also knew that this gorgeous woman had to be handled with care. The reason for this was not revealed to them, but Kowalski had instructed them not to oppose her. Should they let her in now? Lara sent them a piercing look and they shrugged. One of them let his gun down and started to open the door with the big wheel.

...

Simon felt exhausted and broken. His head ached from the blow they had knocked him out with, his wrists were going limp from the ropes he was tied with. It was hot, he felt dried out, he could hardly swallow. His tanned skin was glistening with sweat, a few drops of dry blood covered the corner of his mouth. When he heard the door creak from outside, he slowly raised his head, amazed to see that Lara stepped in. Simon felt new hope rise in him when she glimpsed her slender figure. Deep inside he was expecting Kowalski to appear behind her, but the door closed and only the two of them were left in the small room. A red emergency light was the only light source that made her look threatening as she was standing there. Her hair glinted reddish, her eyes sparkled in a strange way. Simon had never seen her like that.

"Lara," he whispered, but he could not move due to the ropes. His hands were tied behind his back and the ropes fixed to the wall with a thick chain.

"Who are you?" she asked, not going any closer to him. Her eyes narrowed, eying him suspiciously. "You know what? I don't care who you are," she continued in an even voice that scared him. "All you have to tell me is where you hid the shield. I might be able to help you to stay alive afterwards."

Simon slowly shook his head, lowering his eyes. If he did not look at her, he could stay strong a bit longer. It was devastating that Lara was standing in front of him. So close and still out of reach. Like a complete stranger.

"You're stubborn," she stated casually. "Why are you so much against me?"

"I'm not against you," Simon answered, keeping his stare on the floor. "Please, Lara. Listen to me. Just listen."

"No. I don't want to hear your lies," she snapped, impatience filling her voice. "You're going to tell me about the shield. I'll make sure of that." She stepped closer, grabbing his shirt, forcing him to look at her. When their eyes met, her grip tightened.

There was something in his look… something strange… something frightening. A shiver ran down her spine and she stumbled back a bit. Those dark eyes were blazing and the images were coming back. The eyes… the anger… the hate… but this time also something else… something deep and strong. Suddenly his figure appeared in front of her holding a fighting stick. Attacking her. Lara winced and let go of him. Another attack, he swept out her feet. She landed on the floor… defeated. A shot… and shot through the night… but she could not see where and when and why… another shot… pain split through her… her shoulder. Her hand instinctively grabbed her own shoulder where the scar was still visible.

"Stop it!" she shouted, holding her head in both hands as if fearing to go crazy.

"Lara, I know you can feel it. Don't fight it back," he pleaded, trying to stand up to get to her, but he did not manage.

"Stop fucking lying to me," she squeezed her eyes together, punching him in the face to channel her frustration. The blow hit him, but it was not the strength of it hurting him. Knowing she turned against him, that she was able to attack him felt shattering. "Tell me where it is," she kept punching him again and again and Simon did nothing to stop her. He let her do it till she calmed down again.

Simon was panting heavily, some fresh blood flowing down his face where her fist hit his eyebrow. Lara was standing there, gasping for air, her face furious. Her cool, measured self far forgotten. They were just staring at each other for a while. Her hot, violent eyes meeting his sad, pleading ones.

"I'll kill you if I have to," she hissed barely audibly, but Simon was more and more certain she could not do so. There was brutal frustration in her punches, but he knew she could remember something that made her unsure.

"Lara," he whispered softly. "You're mine and you always will be."

His words surprised her, that was easy to tell. Her incredulous look told him everything, but then slowly new anger found its way through in her. It was only a spark first, then it started to grow. She grabbed his shirt again, pulling him forcefully up from the floor a bit.

"I'm not playing here," she threatened him, leaning so close to his face that only an inch separated them.

"I know," he said in a whisper and used the chance of having those gorgeous lips so close to his once again. If he kissed her, she had to feel it. She simply had to. His lips suddenly caught hers and a shock ran through her. Simon could feel how she wavered, first trying to fight against it, but slowly the feeling took control of her and she let it happen. A barely audible moan left her lips when she parted them under his and let him take her in that amazing kiss. Let him lead her to encounter feelings she had long forgotten about and that felt so wonderful. So amazingly wonderful. His mouth was soft and demanding at the same time, offering her so much she had no idea about. And it felt familiar… frighteningly familiar. "You're mine," he whispered in a throaty voice when his lips slowly let go of hers and for a moment Lara completely forgot about herself.

"Don't ever do this again," she pushed him away vehemently, all confused. Due to the sudden move, something fell out of his inner pocket. A small leather booklet. Simon's eyes widened as if seeing it for the first time. Lara reached out for it in the exact moment when the door behind them creaked again. Without thinking twice she hid it in her pocket before she turned to face Kowalski, who stepped in.

"What's going on here?" he asked a bit surprised, seeing them both looking so shocked. Lara rose again, setting her trousers, feeling the small booklet in her pocket. She could not explain why, but she did not want to mention it to Kowalski.

"I'm trying to get it out of him, but this guy is hopeless," she said, steadying her voice again. Her fingers instinctively ran over her lips where he had kissed her before, still feeling the hot touch of his lips on her.

"I know where the next piece is, but I'll only tell Lara. Take it or leave it," Simon offered and looked at Kowalski resolutely. There was silence in the room for a while, Kowalski was thinking frantically. He could not kill him, else they would never find the shield. Either he would risk it and let the two of them alone, jeopardizing that Lara would get back her memories, or he would lose the whole armour for good. Kowalski took the smaller bad.

"Untie him," he ordered his men standing in the door.


	12. Chapter 12

Lara felt the booklet in her pockets pushing against her thigh, but had no chance to look at it ever since they had left the small room where Simon had been kept. Kowalski did not let them out of his sight and this was becoming more and more suspicious to Lara, but she did not show it. From the corner of her eyes she kept watching Kowalski who was standing at the wheel of the speed boat they were sitting in. Lara felt confused. Even more confused than when she had woken up after the accident.

Kowalski looked tense and nervous, but this could have been because of the shield being hidden by that guy… Simon. Lara could not get him out of her mind. That kiss. Why the hell had she let that happen at all? His hands had been tied, it would not have been very hard to resist him and yet she had let him kiss her. Not just let him, but she had actually kissed back which was inexplicable to her. This Simon really knew how to confuse her and it made Lara angry. Most probably angry with herself, but not willing to admit this, she directed her anger against everyone else. Against him.

She did not want to think about it how wonderful it had felt when he had kissed her. It was annoying, infuriating how he had managed to veil her mind with this witchery and made her return it. To hell with him, she decided irritably. One stupid kiss would not change her mind. Her hand slipped to her pocket, touching the booklet in there. It made her curious, but Lara did not want to risk Kowalski seeing her with it. Or maybe it was just a trick again and this guy had let it drop with intention? To mislead her? Lara turned her head, looking at Simon from the corner of her eyes.

Simon was sitting at the end of the speed boat, his hands still tied behind his back. Keeping his head low, he tried to decide what to do next. His plan was risky, but he had to try it. He had to stay alone with her. Even without looking up, he felt Lara watching him. Her taste still lingered in his mouth and it drove him crazy. Kissing her had been painful. It had brought back so many memories, so many feelings that hurt him immensely and yet he craved for it again. For a short moment he had been able to forget about all the bad in the world and he had felt like before. Happy. With her. Now that he had felt it again, it tortured him even more. How had he ended up like this? Dependent on a woman who meant more to him than his own life. When he raised his head, Lara moved her stare away, watching the waves.

The speed boat slowed down, one of the armed men threw the anchor into the water.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Kowalski went to Simon and he nodded. "How do you know?"

"There was a hint on the shield," he said, carefully choosing his words not to reveal anything important.

"Where is that damn shield?" Kowalski grabbed his shirt, pulling him forcefully up from the seat, but Simon held his angry gaze without a word.

"Kill me if you want, you'll never find it," he said after a while, and Kowalski let go of him.

"Let's get moving," he shouted and the few men they had brought with them started to unload equipment. They packed everything over to a dinghy and paddled to the shore. The waves were tossing the small thing around, but it fought its way through. "There is very little activity on this side of this island, so it shouldn't be a problem," Kowalski said to Lara who was sitting right next to him.

"I don't mind problems," she answered quietly, keeping her eyes on the shore. "I'll take care of them."

They stepped out of the boat, their feet landing in the ankle-deep clear water. A volcanic island with strange black sand. A man pushed Simon forward to Kowalski.

"Where do we need to go?" he asked impatiently. As Lara was standing next to them, he tried to keep his anger down. He hated this guy, more than anyone else in the world. Everything had looked so wonderful before he had appeared. The plan had been perfect, Lara had been on his side, nothing had stood in his way. And now he had to beg this man to tell him where the next piece is? Outrageous.

"The deal is that I'll go with Lara. No one else," Simon insisted. Kowalski's eyes narrowed, Simon could see how anger was rising in him, but he would not give in. Lara and no one else.

Kowalski turned to Lara, whispering something to her that Simon could not hear and she left them alone, walking a bit further down the shore. With his back to her, Kowalski faced Simon again.

"Now listen to me, pal," he hissed menacingly. "I think you're not getting the situation here. You're not the one to set the rules here."

Simon's face did not change a bit, then a faint smile appeared on it. "I think you forget about something. I'm the only one who knows where the shield is and where to get the next piece."

Kowalski's face tensed even more, his voice not more than a growl. "I think you forget about something too. I'm not the one who wants to save Lara Croft." His words hit him and Kowalski knew it, so he kept talking. "I know what she means to you. To me she means nothing. I admit that having her around is a nice addition to my plans, but I absolutely don't care about her well-being."

"You need her to get the pieces. You won't do anything to her till then." Simon tried his luck, hoping to be right.

"That is true," Kowalski said. "At least partly. I would prefer her to find them for me, but if I have to, I'll find someone else."

"If you tell her that the whole thing has been a lie, you'll lose her." Simon felt desperate. He did not count with Kowalski being ready to turn against Lara. Trusting that the fact that he needed her would help him, Simon played his cards, and seemed to have the weaker hand.

"I don't need to tell her anything. I'm very sure it's enough if I tell you that I'll kill her if you don't do what I want from you. She doesn't need to know anything about our little deal. What do you say?" he offered a cold smile.

"You wouldn't," Simon looked at him in disbelief.

"You know I would," he answered, turning away from him again. "So Mr Hanningham. Lead the way," he continued in a cheerful voice, smiling at Lara, who watched them curiously.

...

The cave went deep into the mountain, and the deeper they got, the darker it became. Black rocks surrounded them and Lara went as first. The way inside the cave was unknown to them all, Simon only knew where to look for the entrance. Afterwards, he had no idea anymore. They were all looking around amazed, trying to guess where they were heading.

Simon felt deep worry, watching Lara walk in front of him. Why did she not remember him? It was unbelievable how she could have forgotten about them. They had gone through so much together and it was all vanished? Would she ever be the same again? When he had kissed her, it had felt as before. Her lips had tasted like always. Sweet and mind-blowing. The way she had returned the kiss had been so familiar. When she had pushed him away, it had made him suffer. It was maddening to see her there and yet she was so far away. Simon tried to collect his thoughts a bit. Thinking back at their encounters, there had been something that disturbed him. Every time he had touched her, Lara had seemed to feel something. As if she had been hit by something. Her cold reservedness had been gone and she had looked like having pain.

Could she have felt something? Seen something? About them together? But if this was the case, why would she still turn against him? Simon felt confused.

When Lara stopped, Kowalski grabbed Simon's shoulders, pulling him back. A room opened in front of them, a smaller, round room with something standing in the middle. Lara did not move. A disturbing feeling arouse in her as if she had seen this place already, but it could not be.

A round room, with a platform in the middle, light coming in from above, holes on the wall all around. She winced, dismissing the idea. Angry with herself, she stepped in, not caring about the consequences. Anger made her reckless and she did not mind it.

"Lara, wait," Simon called after her with worry in his voice, but she did not pay attention. Her eyes focused on the sword that was in the middle of the room, stabbed into the platform like a cross. The sword of Achilles. It was beautiful. Simple and yet so powerful. Lara walked to it with awe on her face, her fingers traced over the blade as she went around the platform. It felt so familiar. So much like… like… she could not remember. In that moment though, Simon knew exactly what it looked like. The room worked the same way as the place where they had found the amulet in Scotland. The first time they had worked together. The first time he had fallen in love with her. His eyes widened when he saw her climb on the platform. Her hand moved to the hilt of the sword, her fingers clutched it, preparing to pull it out. "Nooo….," Simon cried out and not caring about anyone else around him, he ran towards her. It may have been just a few seconds, but it felt like eternity to him.

Lara's muscles tensed and she pulled the sword, the metal slowly moving out of the stone. The faint light glinted on the ancient blade, and she straightened up, holding it in her hands. Simon could hear the clicks coming from the walls, he could almost see the darts flying towards her, piercing through her body. Noo, he wanted to shout again, but no sound came out of his mouth. He jumped, not even really knowing what he was doing. Time seemed to stop and Simon knew he was too late. His hands grabbed her, pulling her with him as he was falling back to the ground, his body protectively covering hers. He felt pain, but did not care about it. All he wanted to know was that Lara was safe.

She stayed unmoved and it scared him. Squeezing his eyes together, he did not dare to open them and see her lifeless face. After a few seconds that felt like endless torture to him, Simon felt her wince under him. When he looked up, her brown eyes looked back at him, holding a question. Nothing moved.

Lara felt his body cover hers and suddenly she knew this had happened before. The images were coming again, but this time they did not trouble her. They were smoothing, calming, comforting. She felt protected and safe. She felt as if… belonging to him? A flash… and she saw them together in a gym, another flash… she saw them together in a cave… in a bed. Peaceful, tender, arousing. Blinking, she kept watching his face. His hand moved towards her, gently caressing her face.

"Read the booklet. Please read it," he whispered to her and then suddenly someone grabbed him, pulling him violently off her.

"Enough," they heard Kowalski's rough voice and Lara needed a few seconds to get back to reality. Feeling his body on hers, his touch on her face and seeing that warm feeling in his eyes stirred her. Lara sat up and watched the men drag him out of them room. Drawing in a deep breath, she raised her hand to her face, touching the same spot he had touched. "Are you alright?" Kowalski pulled her up, looking at her asking, but Lara only nodded as if not even seeing him. "Come on, darling. We still have a lot to do," he smiled at her, thinking something was very wrong.


	13. Chapter 13

Lara panted heavily, her arms already aching from the exhaustion, every muscle crying for a break, but she did not grant it to herself. Her mind swirled, those disturbing thoughts did not leave her in peace. Why the hell had she listened to him? The doubt was rising in her, leaving a bitter taste in her throat.

Raising her fist, she punched the sand bag again, putting all her frustration and anger into the blow. She hit it again and again, but no matter how much she tried, she could not empty her mind. Wouldn't it be so much easier if she could just get rid of these thoughts and continue her life? What life, she thought irritably and hit the bag again that swung forcefully to the side. Lara moved to the right, sending a brutal kick at her imaginary enemy. It was not a sand bag anymore. It was him…. His face. Why was he haunting her? She did not want to feel that way.

Her fists clenched even tighter, still feeling the rage she had felt in that small room in the ship. When she had beat him. She could still see the blood flowing down his face, the pain in his eyes. Why had he not tried to protect himself? Why had he let her hit him again and again without a word? Without a tiny ghost of resistance? With a quick turn she kicked the bag again, the metal ring holding it creaked painfully at the attack, but Lara did not care.

She wanted to hate him. God knew she tried so hard and yet his face kept coming back to her every single time she closed her eyes. It could not be, it could not be. A loud groan followed her next punch. There was anger, hate and dislike in his eyes…in all those memories she had seen before. Why would he…. Why would he… she did not want to think of that kiss again. God damn it, she cursed, speeding up her desperate punches to a rhythm her arms were hardly able to follow. Her breath ragged, sweat was flowing down her face. Squeezing her eyes shut, Lara kept beating the damn thing as if her life depended on it.

When she could not take it anymore, she grabbed the bag with both hands, leaning on it, trying to catch her breath again. Her skin glinted of perspiration, her muscles trembled from the physical fatigue, but her fury did not vanish. Suddenly a flash came again, and she could see herself in a gym punching a sand bag just like she had now. A male voice started to talk behind her… she turned around… it was him. Simon. Lara shook her head to get rid of the picture. Why him? What had he done to her?

Lara thought back of the cave. Simon had saved her life, but why? She did not understand it at all. Still not being sure whether the images she had seen were memories or not, Lara was uncertain what to feel about them. After all this she had no idea anymore if this man was her enemy, but why would Kowalski lie to her? Simon had hid the shield and was unwilling to tell them where it was, so obviously he was against them. Against her. But when his body had covered hers, when his hand had caressed her face, when his lips had kissed hers….. Lara had felt so strange. It had been attraction. Yes. Physical longing and something more. Something so amazingly familiar.

Lara grabbed the bottle of water and took a long gulp of it, then poured the rest on her face. The water was running down her skin, wetting the tight top she was wearing. Putting the white towel around her neck, she slowly walked back to her room. Ever since they had left the cave, the thought had not left her mind. The leather booklet. She had tucked it away in her bag and kept thinking about it if she should read it. Simon had told her to do so, but what if there were more lies in it to confuse her? What if he somehow made her see these things to gain her trust?

The decision was made within minutes. No matter how much she dithered about it, it aroused her curiosity. Maybe in the first moment it had fallen out of his pocket. Lara quickened her steps because she knew she did not have much time. In the cave they had found the next hint where to look for the last piece, the helmet of Achilles, but strangely enough, this time the booklet seemed to be more important to her.

Closing the door behind her, she walked to her bag and got the booklet out of it. It was small, light, easy to hold in the hand. She was studying it carefully while going over to the bed. Not caring about her sweaty clothes and the heavy boots, she stretched on the bed, leaning her back against the headboard. Eyes narrowed, she took off the elastic band and opened the first page. It was empty, so she moved on. The next page was full of text, written in a neat handwriting. Lara recognized it right away. It was hers. Or a very good imitation.

At the top of the page there was a date from about two years ago. Lara looked surprised. Would that be a diary? Her diary? She started to read.

_25th of November, 2008_

_I arrived home from Mexico, but did not find the artefact I was looking for. The ambiguity of the hints confused me and I'm reluctant to accept the sceptre doesn't exist. _

Lara frowned. None of these things sounded familiar to her, but at least it fitted into the picture. She was a treasure hunter after all. Well… she turned a few pages as she did not see anything of importance. There were no entries for every day, only when something important happened. She did not seem like a regular writer, she shrugged.

_14th of May, 2009_

_Lord Crestley was shot at the party before he could talk to me about his findings. I feel obliged to find his killer and solve this mystery, but this map is giving me a hard time. I've never seen anything like this. No matter what I try, I always run into a dead-end. And this man… Simon Hanningham… I'm not sure I can trust him. Would his intentions be real or is he only after the treasure. I can't be sure of that. He had saved me after all, but it might be a trap. I shouldn't give a damn how handsome he is…_

So it was true, Lara stopped at the end of the line. This Simon had approached her in the past to get a certain treasure from her and now he was doing it again. Tricks and seduction, but she could not resist reading on. For the first time she had a chance to look into her own life. But was it the truth?

_5th of June, 2009_

_I should stop listening to my reason a bit more often. This night with him… it was amazing. Getting the amulet from the bad guys and taking revenge for my old friend's death were satisfying, but Simon is amazing. God, I feel like a stupid schoolgirl….. _

When she read that she suddenly saw herself in a small room with white walls. There was only a bed in it and nothing else, still it felt so comforting. Yet some pain mixed into the memory. Cuts and bruises, a calming hand roaming over her body. Lara closed her eyes for a moment, but could not see more details. Rubbing her eyes with her hand, she moved on in the diary. After this entry there was a long break and nothing was written for several months.

_16th of October, 2009_

_Anger shakes me and I hate him. I HATE HIM. I never want to see him again. How could I have ever believed he would accept who I am and would not want to change me? Men are all the same. All the same…. Damn it… _

There was a smudge at the bottom of the page and Lara had no idea what was happening. Reading her own words without knowing what she had felt was simply maddening. How could she understand anything from these few lines? _I __hate __him_. Had she been talking about Simon? Her finger touched the spot where the writing smeared, and suddenly she could see it again. She, lying in her bed, Simon standing at the side of it, looking at her with a mixture of disappointment, anger and frustration. Then he turned on his heels and rushed away, leaving her there alone. Sad and empty. The memory filled her mind and Lara could feel the regret rising in her, the pain of loneliness flushing through her. Her throat tightened.

23rd of March, 2010

_Panama, the other end of the world. Why does he have to be here? I don't want to see him again. Please God, don't do this to me. I have to stay strong and fight back my feelings. Suppress my wild emotions. The ache and the tightness that keeps me longing for him while I know he doesn't love me anymore. He can't love me. He's never given us another chance…I won't beg…_

Lara felt more and more confused and reading the lines, those emotions crept back. The feeling of loss. She had lost him and slowly she realized she had loved him. Her hand instinctively touched her ring finger as if expecting something on it, but it was empty. She remembered that tender look in his eyes when they had first met in the museum and he had asked her to listen to him. That silent plea.

_11th of July, 2010_

_I've never been so happy in my life. We're back from Panama and the golden book of the gods is lying in front of me. How much I was waiting for this moment. I've never known it exist, thought it to be a legend and now here it is and it shares all its secrets with me. And he is here with me too… it's deeper than ever before…perfect…_

This was the last entry in the diary, and Lara slowly lowered it to the bed. He had been there with her and she had been happy. When she closed her eyes, she could see the same images again, but they all changed. The mad looks altered into some deep worry, anger melted into love, reservedness into real care. She could feel his touch, his kisses, his caresses and suddenly it all came back to her. Lara Croft. Her past, her memories, her feelings. As if water filled up an empty glass, Lara felt whole again. Everything rushed back and she knew who she was, what she was and how she felt.

It was anger she felt for being deceived, it was fury she felt for being tricked and used and it was love she felt for the man who had sacrificed everything to save her. It hurt her. Imagining how Simon could have suffered when she had said she would not know him, how he could have felt when she had shot at him, beat him or denied her feelings… it was devastating. Yet he had never given up on her.

She could see that night… their last night. How he had held her in his arms, how he had loved her tenderly and passionately at the same time, how he had never left her alone. It had been peaceful and quiet, only the two of them in that silent room and there had been such a deep connection between them.

Then the phone had rung, they had rushed back to the manor, the accident. It all came back to her so lively that she could smell the smoke and feel the pain again. When Lara opened her eyes again, resolution returned to her stare and she knew exactly what she had to do.


	14. Chapter 14

Kowalski watched Lara from the corner of his eyes as she was standing at the wheel of the speedboat just as he had been the last time they went after the third piece of the armour. The sea was blue and mostly calm, the sun shining down heavily from the clear sky. The longer he watched her, the stronger the feeling became that something was wrong, though he could not explain why. Lara Croft looked relaxed and focused, just as always. There was determination on her face, she was concentrating on her target. But Kowalski could not forget about that one second in the cave when she had watched Simon being dragged away. That look on her face, that distant stare as if she had been remembering. Afterwards there was no sign that anything had changed, but that one second unsettled him. Could he still trust her?

He carefully moved his gaze over to Simon. No sign of any change there either. He looked desperate, head lowered, his hands limp beside him as he was sitting at the end of the boat. When he raised his head, looking at Lara, Kowalski could see the same misery in his eyes. Why did he feel like something was wrong then?

"I think this is as close as we can get to it," Lara said suddenly, stopping the engine of the speedboat not far from a straight wall of rock rising out of the sea like a menacing barrier. The waves smashed against it, this time rather more gently though. They all stood up almost at the same time. Lara kept staring at the rocks, then abruptly turned around to face the two of them. Kowalski, who looked a bit suspicious and Simon, who looked dispirited. Lara dismissed her feelings, trying to bury them as deep as possible in her.

"So where's the helmet?" Kowalski took a step, struggling to keep his balance when a bigger waved crushed against the side of the boat.

"It's in there," Lara pointed towards the rocks, remembering the hint they had found in the cave with the sword. Thinking of it brought back one more image she did not want to see at the moment. Simon being so close to her, his body pressing against hers. Lara's face showed no emotion, but inside she felt like screaming of frustration. But she knew exactly what she had to do against it.

"I don't see anything." Kowalski held his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun.

"Of course you can't." Lara kept talking in a measured voice, though the idea of finding the helmet of Achilles sent a shiver through her body. A very well-known shiver of anticipation. She did not feel good. One small mistake and it could all be over. "The cave is below the surface of the water." She grabbed a small bottle of oxygen, just enough for a short dive. No need for heavy equipment, she decided quickly.

"I don't want you to go alone," Kowalski said cautiously, still trying to convince her nothing was wrong. "You saw what happened in the other cave. I'm worried about your safety, darling." He moved a bit closer, and could feel Simon's stare on him. How he would have loved to kill him. He wished that damn shield was not hidden by him. Keeping him alive any minute longer risked the whole undertaking. Of that he was certain.

"I'm sensing something here." Lara's tone changed a bit, showing reprimand. "You don't trust me anymore?"

"You misunderstand me, darling. As I said I'm only worried about you. I wouldn't bear if anything happened to you." What a good liar he was, Kowalski thought to himself. As soon as he got the helmet… and of course the shield, he would get rid of Simon Hanningham. And probably Lara Croft as well. No matter how tempting it sounded to keep her around, she was dangerous. Like a bomb counting down before blowing up. It was only a question of time till she would find out what was going on and Kowalski did not want to try his luck with her. It was a pity she had to die, but life was cruel. It was pity indeed, he pondered watching her.

"Then why do you question me?" Her face hardened and she turned to Kowalski, not daring to look at Simon. In fact, she stepped between the two men so she stood there with her back to Simon and this was exactly the position she needed. "I'm sure I can prove my loyalty to you so there will be no need for your cautiousness." With one quick move she grabbed her faithful Desert Eagle and spun on her heels. The dark barrel of the gun was now trained on Simon, and he looked at her in disbelief. Lara took two slow steps, reducing the distance between them a bit and closing the view of Kowalski at the same time. When she pulled the trigger, the sound of the shot exploded in the silence, rushing along the surface of the sea. It echoed long in the air and for a moment no one knew what had happened. Simon's eyes widened, his hand clutched to his stomach. With an incredulous face, he stumbled back, his legs giving in under his own weight. As if not believing his own eyes, he kept staring at Lara and the gun in her hand, but no sound came out of his mouth. Tilting her head to the side, Lara watched him backing away, then he bumped into the side of the boat and lost his balance. With a loud splash he landed in the water and right away went under. For a few seconds Lara kept her eyes on the spot where he had disappeared until the waves calmed down again, and then she turned to Kowalski. "Do you trust me now?" she asked in a cold voice and placed the gun next to the wheel of the boat.

"What the hell… why did you do this?" he looked at her incredulously, eyes wide of disbelief. "We'll never find the shield." He almost gasped, not believing his eyes, but Lara remained calm.

"I know where the shield is. Don't worry about that." Taking off the heavy boots, she quickly put on some rubber shoes. "I told you before… if he is our enemy, you need to get rid of him." After collecting a few tools into her backpack, she took the oxygen bottle again. "And now let me do my job." She looked at him once more and saw that she had achieved exactly what she had planned. Kowalski's face showed amazement, but the trust was there again. Just as before. Lara stepped on the side of the boat and with an elegant swan dive, she disappeared in the water.

Under the water silence surrounded her and she felt the excitement, but this time it was not only the finding making her feel so. She swam as fast as she could, searching for the entrance of the cave. It was not hard to spot it. A ray of light fell exactly there as if willing to show her the way. A nervous smile appeared on her face. Her body moved gracefully in the water, quickly approaching the hole in the rocks. It had to work, Lara kept telling herself, but she was unable to feel relief. Not yet. Not until she was in there.

Taking a small flashlight out, she swam into the passage, merry bubbles leaving her lips when she breathed out. It was not a long swim until she saw the opening above her. Some light came into the cave through the hole, the clear blue water giving an eerie feeling to the place. The small waves mirrored on the ceiling, make it look like it was moving. As soon as she surfaced, she took the air supply out of her mouth and threw it to the ground. It had to work, she thought nervously, but had no time to look around. A strong hand reached out for her, grabbing her hand instantly. It was not fear she felt. It was finally the relief that she had been waiting for so long. He pulled her out of the water, and she was just standing there in front of him, water dripping from her, clothes clutching tightly on her body, but she did not care.

It was him she saw and nothing else. Those glittering dark eyes, the wet hair, the lean body.

"I knew you'd remember," Simon said, watching her with so much love.

"I knew you'd realize it." And she jumped into his arms, letting him hold her close, feeling his warm embrace that she had needed for so long. Lara indulged herself in those tender feelings and let them flood her, wash over her like a hot wave of calmness.

"God, I thought I'd lost you," he cupped her face with both hands, holding her a bit away from him to look into her eyes as if still not believing she was standing there.

"I'm so sorry… for everything." A tear appeared in the corner of her eye when her finger carefully touched the cut above his eyebrow she had caused. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about that," he smiled weakly, taking her hand into his.

"You've never given up…" Lara kept watching him, the face she knew so well, the eyes that showed everything he felt for her.

"How could I?" he looped an arm around her waist, pulling her close again. As close as possible. "I love you. You remember?" His voice got lower with every word, completely losing himself in her.

"I remember," Lara whispered and let him kiss her. First slowly, giving her a taster of all those warm feelings he could offer. His lips caught hers, gently nibbling on them, waking up the passion they felt for each other and the tender love that hid behind the fire. And she welcomed the feeling, giving it all back to him. All she felt, all there was in her. The kiss deepened, slowly kindling the desire in her and Lara did not know how she could have ever forgotten about it. How she could have breathed without him, fallen asleep and waken up when he was not there, how she could have existed without him. Being in his arms again felt as if she was coming home. A strange and comforting mixture of desire, arousal, tenderness and solace.

"I never want to lose you again," he mumbled, letting go of her lips as slowly as if not willing to end this moment they shared.

"You won't. Ever again." She flashed a faint smile, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "You know I'm yours and I always will be," she repeated his words from earlier, making him return the smile she had offered. His hand softly caressed her face, brushing a wet curl of her out of if, smoothing it behind her ear.

"And I want to keep it that way." He did not let her go, keeping her in his arms for long minutes and Lara did not mind it. Completely forgetting about the helmet of Achilles, all she wanted was him holding her forever. "So how did you know your plan would work?" he asked after a while, looking at her in a playful way. "What if I didn't play along?"

"That would have looked stupid, wouldn't it?" she laughed out softly, remembering how she had changed the magazine of her gun to a blank cartridge the day before. Her plan had had a very weak point though. Lara had not got the chance to let Simon know about it. But the shock and the horror on his face had looked very real and convincing when she had trained the gun on him. One look at him. That had been all she could use to tell him and Simon had understood him. One look Kowalski had not seen because he had stood behind her. And for the same reason he could not see the lack of blood. Simon had acted smartly and quickly. Just as she had expected. "I knew you'd grasp it."

"When I looked into your eyes I knew something had changed." He kept caressing her skin with his lips, breathing in her sweet scent. "I simply knew." Lara did not have to answer. It was exactly what she had counted on and it had worked. Her hands snaked around his neck and she did not mind the rest of the world anymore. Not for a few minutes. Not as long as he held her. "So how do we get out of here without Kowalski seeing us?" he asked after a while, still tasting her neck.

"We won't," Lara said quietly, and she knew he would pull away. Simon raised his head, holding her a bit away from him, to look at her.

"What do you mean we won't? You can't be serious."

"You know I have to finish this. We can't let him have the armour and open the book." Her look went serious, and Lara reluctantly moved away from him, fearing to see the disappointment on his face.

Simon let out a desperate sigh and his hands skimmed through his wet hair, trying to find the words he wanted to say. "Why… why can't we just forget about it and live our lives? I just want you to be safe and with me…" After he said that he fell silent because he realized the meaning of it. "So you want to go back to him and I can't stop you, right? No matter what I say?"

Lara shook her head slowly then turned to Simon, walking back to him and placed her hands on his chest. "You know you're more important for me than anything else, but I can't let this happen. You need to…"

"Shh…" he placed a finger on her mouth to hush her.

"I promised that I wouldn't try to change you," he whispered, pulling her close again. "I made that mistake once and I learnt from it. But please let me help you. You don't need to do this alone."

"I know." She kissed him softly on the lips, not even leaving him a chance to answer to it. "And I'm counting on that," she smiled at him, giving him a tender feeling of belonging together.

Simon slowly shook his head, but a smile was playing in the corner of his mouth. "Then go and get that damn helmet," he said in a playful voice, enjoying the feeling of having her back. The persistent, stubborn Lara he knew. The loving, sexy Lara he knew. Though, when she wanted to walk past him, he quickly grabbed her hand, turning her back to him. "And Lara," he looked at her friskily. "If anything happens to this amazing body of yours, I'll be very angry with you."

She laughed out and when he let go off her hand, she walked into the cave to get the helmet. In her usual, very tempting way. God, she was wicked, Simon though with a happy smile on his face.


	15. Chapter 15

"I don't understand you." Kowalski sat down to the armchair in the corner, keeping a careful eye on Lara who was standing with her back to him. On the desk in front of her the helmet was sitting and her excited stare fixed on it. It was beautiful. Ancient, simple and yet so breathtaking. She could see Achilles in it, running across the battlefield with a roar of anger, slaughtering all enemies who stood in his way. Hero in the eye of the Greeks, bloodthirsty monster in the eye of the Trojans.

Lara touched it softly, but her mind was somewhere else. With Simon. It had been awfully hard to leave him after all those wonderful memories had returned to her head. How he loved her, how he held her in his arms. Lara closed her eyes for a moment, making use of the short time when Kowalski did not see her face and she could hide her feelings.

"What do you not understand? We don't need him anymore, so I shot him. Isn't this what you wanted me to do?" she turned around and there was no sign of any emotion on her face anymore. All those tender feelings buried, hidden behind an unmoved expression.

"Are you sure about this?" Kowalski grew suspicious and Lara knew it. Since she had returned with the helmet, he looked at her with changed eyes, though she gave no reason for him to turn against her.

"I've brought you the helmet, haven't I? I got rid of our enemies, so what else do you want me to do to prove my loyalty? Actually your behaviour confuses me. Are you hiding something from me?" she narrowed her eyes at him, leaning her hips against the desk. It took her incredible efforts to shove all those images aside when he had lied to her, touched her, looked at her all these days and she'd had no idea that he had been playing a game with her. How could she have been so stupid? How had she been able to turn against Simon when her enemy was right in front of her eyes the whole time?

"It's only my impatience talking. Forgive me." Lara could sense something and she knew it very well what it was. Mistrust. Even as she was feverishly thinking what to do against it, she moved closer.

"I thought it was the armour you wanted. Have you changed your mind?" she stood in front of him, crossing her arms on her chest. Kowalski raised his head to look at her. Her brown eyes showed no emotion, no change, yet he felt something was different. Or was he only imagining it?

"Where is the shield? I need to have the shield." His voice became tense, Lara could hear the impatient greed in it. She knew she did not have much time left.

"I'll bring you the shield in time, don't worry about that. Now we need to get the last piece. The breastplate." Only a few hours, she thought. Only a few hours were needed to prepare everything. She would manage to get that out of him, and all would be solved forever. Only if Simon was there.

"I haven't been able to locate that damn thing," Kowalski fumed, standing up from the chair again. His thoughts were back to the armour and Lara could feel that the danger was gone. At least temporarily.

"I did," she said confidently. Walking over to the desk, she picked up one of the blocks of papers Kowalski had taken from the manor. The son of a bitch, she thought angrily, thinking about how he had infiltrated her home, searched her study and who knew what else. Entered her privacy and maybe hurt Winston. Hurt her, hurt Simon. Anger threatened to slip through the barriers she had carefully built up. "See?" Lara handed him the notes where she had highlighted a few lines with yellow. It was all written in ancient Greek, so Kowalski only returned a confused look at her.

"This is why I need you, darling," he said in a syrupy voice, and the back of his fingers stroked her face again as he stepped closer. Just to test her, but her face did not wince. Inside of her everything was screaming so loudly that Lara could hardly imagine no one else would hear it. "What does it say?"

"I'll show you," she smiled a bit, then turned away so he could not reach her anymore. Opening the laptop, she clicked around until the map of Greece appeared before their eyes. Carefully navigating to the small islands, she zoomed in and a small white spot showed up in the middle of the screen. Kowalski leaned closer, raising a brow at the sight.

"What is this?"

"The place where the breastplate is hidden. I've been working on this all night and I'm confident that it's there. The island without a name." The small spot was lying in the middle of the blue, nothing around it, no name written on it. Kowalski's eyes glinted curiously. "So we only need to ship over there and get it if you're still interested." Her mocking tone resulted exactly what she wanted. Kowalski forgot about his suspicion and the armour floated before his mind's eye. The power it would give him, the glorious moment he would hold it in his hands. The moment he would be defeated, Lara thought, watching his greedy face. How could she not see this before? How could she have been so blind? How could she mix that loving look of Simon with something evil as his?

"Then what are we waiting for?" he straightened up, taking the paper in his hands again as if he could suddenly read it. A few hours, he thought, and it would be all his. No one would ever stop him. Not even Lara Croft. "I'll take care of that," he said, lifting the heavy golden book from the drawer and Lara kept her eyes on it until it disappeared in the bag that Kowalski was holding. "We'll start in half on hour. Be ready, darling," he said with a satisfied smile, and left Lara alone.

...

The stones of the rocks were slippery and Lara knew she had to be careful. Placing her heavy left boot on a stone, she pushed herself higher. All her muscles worked and it was a good feeling. A damn good feeling. This was what kept her going all these years. The physical efforts that showed her limits, the anticipation of finding something great, the proof that she could achieve what she wanted. Now she could remember those years so well when raiding tombs and finding artefacts filled her life. And she knew the exact moment when all this had changed. At least something had come up that added to it, made all this have a sense and widened her horizon. The day she had fallen for him. For Simon Hanningham, who had lied to her, and yet he had somehow stolen her heart. In a way that no one had ever manage. Without a word, without a sign. Even in Panama when they had been fighting constantly, the vibration had been there and Lara knew she wanted him back. Wanted him badly.

Maybe Simon had been right and she should walk away until she could. Why would it be her job to stop all the bad guys in the world? Why could she not lean back and enjoy her life? But Lara knew the answer and Simon surely did as well. That was why Simon loved her and he did not want to change her anymore. Probably never really wanted it either.

Lara gathered all her strength and fought her way up to the top of the wall. Then she saw it right away. A hole under the trees. It was fairly hidden by some dry branches, but she knew what she was looking for. Her eyes ran over the territory, and after checking that it all looked safe, she went closer. A footprint, a broken twig. Signs that did not avoid her attention. Her lips curved into a smile when she lowered herself into the hole with a rope. Just a usual cave, but it was special to her. The last stop of an adventure she would never forget. Raising the light higher, she carefully went deeper.

As she approached, Lara could hear some quite panting and she swallowed silently. A shiver of anticipation ran down her spine and she bit her lips when someone grabbed her wrist. The move was so sudden and unexpected that she could not do anything against it. The flashlight fell on the ground and she was forcefully pulled into the darkness. Her body bumped against something hard and she was unable to move. The panting grew a bit louder and quicker, and Lara did not say a word. There was no need for it.

When the lips crushed to hers, she felt welcome and surrender. Hands wrapped around his neck, they melted together, dove into that sweet pleasure the kiss gave them and forgot about everything else for that endless moment.

"You should be more careful when entering dark places," Simon said teasingly when he pulled away. "I wouldn't have thought it was so easy to surprise you."

"I let you," she said and kissed him again. Passionately, willing more and everything.

"Sure you did," he muttered against her lips, not wanting to let her go again, though he knew he had to. Just a few hours and it would be all over. Why was that damn worry so strong then that something could happen to her? He could not bear the thought not having her in his arms ever again. "Don't go back, please," he said without giving it a second thought. "Just come with me and let's run away from here."

"You know I can't," she whispered, but there was no annoyance in her voice. Actually she would have liked to do just as he had said. Run and be with him. No matter where.

"I know," he answered softly, still holding her close. "But it was worth a try."

Lara took a deep breath and enjoyed his closeness for a moment, knowing it will end soon. "Is everything prepared?" she asked after a while. "Did you get it ready?"

"Yes." She only heard his voice in the dark, but it was enough. His scent filled her, his taste was lingering in her mouth, his hands were holding her. It would have been so easy to give in and not care about the rest of the world anymore.

"Good," she sighed. "This is the last piece and it all has to be settled till we get there."

"I'll be ready, don't worry about that." He cupped her face, holding it in both hands. If he concentrated strong enough, the distant beam of the flashlight on the floor gave enough light to make out her noble features. Those shining eyes, those full lips. God, he did not want to let her go again.

"It'll be all right," she reassured him and herself at the same time. "I'll get the breastplate and we'll need a day the place where you hid the shield. From there on, it all depends on me."

"I wish I could help you."

"You did. More than you think." She kissed him once more, deep and mind-blowing, then she pulled away. "Wait till I'm gone. I don't want them to see you." Simon still held her hand, not letting her go. "Please."

"Don't forget what I said. If anything happens to you…"

"Nothing will happen to me." When he raised her hand to his lips, she closed her eyes and wished she was not so stubborn. But Lara Croft would never let the bad guys walk away. _I love you_, she whispered silently and left him there again.


	16. Chapter 16

Okay, Lara thought, tossing her notes aside. She knew where to go, she knew what to do and how to do it. It was all there, riddle solved, tricks revealed. The armour, the book, the location. One last time and it would be all over. And if everything went as she had planned it, Kowalski would be defeated forever. If it all went right.

She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing Simon was there with her. But it was not him standing behind her, but the man who was responsible for all her misery. He could have ruined her life for good, keeping her in the delusion of being someone else. Someone evil, someone bad. Maybe she was not perfect, not without any flaws, but she was not evil. No, she was not.

"So it's done?" Kowalski asked in an excited tone.

"Yes," Lara said without turning around. "It's all written here." She pulled her finger along the lines of the golden book. It was so amazing, so unbelievable. The Book of Gods. How she wished she had more time to study it.

"I knew it. Last time I made a mistake, but now it will be all mine." Kowalski rubbed his hands together in anticipation and walked over to Lara. "Bring me there. Right now."

Lara turned and sent him a surprised look. "Now? It's the middle of the night." No, she needed to gain some time. They were not ready yet.

"What should we be waiting for, darling?" As he always had, Kowalski brushed the back of his fingers along her face in admiration. Yes, he admired her even though he knew keeping her alive was dangerous. Lara Croft was something special, something once-in-a-lifetime. But after all was done, he would not need her anymore. He would need no one. Ever again.

"I'd rather read through the text once more. Just to be sure," Lara offered, but she knew he did not buy it. Greed glinted in his eyes as he was standing there in front of her and they were just staring at each other for a while.

"No need," he said, a wide smile appearing on his face. "I trust you." It was a wordless battle and she did not wince, holding his gaze steadily until Kowalski turned away. "Get ready, darling. Tonight is the night."

...

It took them less than five hours to find the island they needed. After Lara had given him the location, Kowalski had sent out his men, and by the time they had started from the haven, the mercenaries had delivered the shield. Now it was lying next to Lara and she eyed it carefully. The last missing piece of the armour that Simon had hidden, but now it was there, completing the collection. The armour of Achilles.

When the boat stopped, Lara jumped out, landing in the knee-high water again. The night was slowly retreating, stars fading on the dark sky getting lighter and lighter blue in the east. The calm waves were lapping the beach in a steady rhythm, the murmur of the sea closing out any other noise. Lara looked around, trying to find a sign that anyone else had been there before them.

Leading the way, she started toward the rocks, followed by Kowalski and his men carrying heavy equipment. They left a mass of footsteps behind in the wet sand, but these were the only proof of them being there. Dark, silent shadows in the fading night.

When they entered the cave, Lara let out a surprised sigh. The place was the exact copy of the one they had found in Panama. Where it had all ended so badly.

"This is the place," Kowalski said and passed by Lara who stopped at the entrance. He looked around in amazement, holding the golden book in his hands. The pillar at the end of the room looked exactly the same as the one where they had found the book. Except the three stones that Lara had been forced to collect in Panama were already in place, only waiting for the book to get back to its place as well. For a moment Kowalski forgot about Lara and everyone else completely. He only saw the power that the Gods would give him within minutes. "Bring in the armour," he ordered his men, who carried a big box over to him. Opening it, he licked his lips in approval. They were all there, the spear head, the sword, the helmet, the shield and the breastplate. All beautiful and all his. Only his.

With awe and admiration on his face, he slowly placed the breastplate on him, then took the helmet and pushed it on his head.

"You know what to do now, don't you?" he looked at Lara who was still standing there at the entrance. "And you'll tell me." He ran his eyes around the cave as if searching for something.

"You need to put the book back to its place. Fight the wrath of the Gods with the armour," Lara said carefully, retreating a few steps, but there were armed men behind her.

Kowalski caught her movement from the corner of his eyes. Just a bit of insecurity, just a slight worry in her eyes that was proof enough to him.

"Where are you going, darling? You wouldn't want to miss the show, would you?" His voice sounded malicious, cold and reserved, but his eyes were shining wickedly. Almost menacingly. "The moment we've been all waiting for and you want to leave? I don't think so." He nodded to his men and they grabbed her forcefully. "Lara Croft," he said with an amused smile, slowly ambling over to her. "You thought you were smarter than me." He stood before her, stroking her face just as he had before. This time though, Lara pulled her head away in disgust.

"Don't touch me," she hissed.

"You do remember, don't you?" The men behind her forced her to her knees and she groaned quietly at the pain they had caused. "Then you must find this very familiar. You on your knees, me defeating you."

"It was me walking away last time," she countered in a low, but determined voice.

"Last time. That is the past. This is now. And this time you can't stop me." He held her chin with one hand, forcing her to look at him. "I know you remember and I know he's here too." With one quick move he seized a gun from his belt, pushed it against her head. "Show yourself," he shouted, looking around.

There was utter silence for a minute, nothing moved. The metal pressed against her skin, but Lara said no word.

"Come on, Simon. Don't try to be the hero," Kowalski shouted, running his eyes around the cave again. There were too many places to hide, he could be anywhere. "You know I'd do it. I don't need her anymore. I have all I wanted."

He waited. Patiently. With Lara still close to him and the gun painfully pressed against her head, he slowly circled around. But as his eyes scanned the area Kowalski still did not see Simon appearing from wherever he was hiding. Though he felt his presence.

"Well, as you wish," Kowalski said after a while when Simon did not show up. "Take her," he ordered and walked toward the end of the room. The armed men forced Lara into the middle of the room and with guns aimed at her head they slowly retreated while Lara had no choice but to remain where she was. Picking up the golden book and the rest of the armour, Kowalski confidently went to the pillar. "Then Lara Croft will enjoy the show right from the middle of it. We'll see if the Gods let her live."

Simon watched the scene with anger simmering under his skin, making him jumpy and restless, but he knew he could not rush it. The plan definitely did not work, he had to adjust. Seeing her kneel there, a gun pressed against her head brought all his fury to the surface, hating the man for doing this to her more than any damn criminal of the world. Narrowing his eyes, he watched her. The determination on her face that left no doubt behind that she had not given up. Lara would never give up. And he loved this in her.

Simon's hands clenched when Kowalski recoiled, holding the book in front of him. The golden object approached the pillar and it seemed to be attracted to it. The cradle where it belonged all those years, centuries. Lara's eyes followed his movements as if mesmerized. Now only one man was still standing next to her, though she did not try to run and Simon knew why. She wanted to see it. Experience it. Even after what had happened last time. He did remember it so well. That indefinable chaos that they had hardly survived.

Kowalski raised the book and with an almost solemn expression he lowered it to the pillar. It seemed to jump into its place and then it all started again. Some unearthly wind started to blow, stirring up dust, blinding everyone. The armed man backed away, leaving Lara alone in the middle of the swirl that started to get stronger and stronger with every second. Her hair was flying in the stream of air, hand raised to cover her face. Kowalski stood in the middle of all this and read aloud, his voice filling the whole place with an incredible volume. Dark clouds gathered, electricity sizzled in the air. The noise was deafening, unbearable.

When the place shook for the first time, Kowalski's men ran, leaving everything behind. Simon knew it was time to move. Jumping out of his hiding place, he rushed toward Lara who disappeared more and more in the swirling chaos of dust, stones, particles of sand and mud. Beams of light slashed in the air, leaving him stunned for a moment. The view was amazing. Frighteningly amazing. Stronger, bigger, harsher than the first time. As if the Gods felt what was coming.

Kowalski laughed out in a mad tone, standing in the middle of the chaos steady as a rock. He placed the spear head to the middle of the book, shouted something again and the electricity sizzled even stronger, sending dozens of tiny lightning flashes toward him. The cave trembled, the walls crackled, the roof ceased to exist. It was all but a churning madness above them, dark and dreadful. The way to hell.

Lara struggled to crawl forward and Simon knew she wanted to get the book, but this time he would not let her. It was insane, lunatic. They had to get out. Gathering all his strength he fought the wind, the sand, the powers that attacked him with unmanly force. Reaching out for her, he sent her a pleading look. When their eyes met, it was just them for a moment, everything else forgotten and he understood her. Clearer than ever before. It was Kowalski she wanted to stop.

Simon nodded, and holding her hand, he gave her his gun. "Quickly," he said, but his voice could not be heard at all. Kowalski took the sword, sending it up skyward like a trophy. A powerful shock of energy released from the tip of it, flying right toward the stirring maelstrom above them, slashing through it, shaking the place with an even greater power. Vast pieces of rocks whirled around, making it more difficult to see and get forward. Lara raised the gun, training it on Kowalski with an incredible effort. Simon heard no shot, the bullet was caught up in the swirl, vanishing in the madness around them.

All hell broke loose, Simon found no words to describe it anymore. He felt as if being torn apart, as if falling to pieces, smashed into a lifeless wreck. In this moment something happened he could not believe. A monumental figure appeared in the middle of the swirl, all muscles, all weapons.

"Dare you disturb the Gods of Olympus," he thundered in a deafening voice. "I'm Ares, God of War." He smashed his spear to the ground, sending a thunder of shockwave through the whole cave. Lara and Simon fell to the floor, unable to advance.

"Give me your power, Ares, God of War," Kowalski shouted, holding the sword toward the God who looked at him with blazing eyes. His face showed endless irritation.

"Prove you're worthy of it," the God roared, releasing a blast of lightning in Kowalski's direction. The gleaming, electrical wave sizzled through the air and Kowalski prepared to protect himself. Holding the shield of Achilles in front of him, he supported himself, self-confident smile on his face. It would be all his now. All his.

Simon saw the lightning hit the shield and for a moment nothing happened. Then the shield trembled, shook, melted and cracked in the middle, letting the electric shockwave hit Kowalski with full power. He stumbled back, then flew meters away, landing on the ground with an immense blast.

"Stupid mortal," Ares thundered, taking a step toward him. "Get your reward for playing with my patience." He held his spear high and Simon knew it was all over. Pulling Lara with him, he backed away, fighting against the force of the vortex they were caught in. Lara could not move her stare away, as if mesmerized she kept watching the scene. The frightened, begging shape of Kowalski, the immense figure of Ares looming over him. Then Simon pulled her away, dragging her out of that swirl and she could only hear the death scream that filled the whole cave, washing over all other noises for a moment. It crawled into their ears, through all their nerves, into their system and Lara knew she would never forget it again.

From there on it was all like a blur of motions, explosions and when the final blast shook the room, they were almost out of the cave. The fire licked over the tunnel they came from, closed all ways in and when it reached them, the hot wave sent them flying, out of the cave, landing painfully on the wet sand of the beach.

Simon groaned when he fell onto his back, Lara falling right on the top of him. For a moment he could not even breathe, but he felt her closeness, the warmth of her body, her chest heave and it smoothed away all pain.

"Oh my God," she muttered, letting out the air she was holding. "Didn't we go through this already?"

Simon laughed, but it gave him pain. He did not mind it. "I can vaguely remember something." He raised his head, sending her a questioning look while studying her face. "One thing I'm not sure though is… who are you?"

Lara raised a brow, eying him suspiciously for a moment. Fear split through her, but when she noticed the ghost of a smile in the corner of his mouth, she frowned at him.

"Idiot," she nudged him lightly in the ribs, making him hiss in pain. "That was quite something. If you didn't have the terrific idea of changing Achilles' shield to a replica, I don't know how we would've stopped him."

"Being with you inspires me." Simon smoothed a slightly burnt curl of hair out of her face, studying her carefully. "I never want to lose you again."

"You won't," she said with a smile, rolling off him to lie in the sand. They were both watching the horizon where the sun was slowly rising and the blue of the sea welcomed it with colourful stripes. It was all calm and peaceful as if the terror before had not happened at all. A new day was coming, a new day they could enjoy together.

"Come, let's get out of here," Simon offered a hand after he stood up. Lara was hesitating for a moment, then took it. "I can see something's on your mind."

"Well… I just can't… don't know how to… you know… maybe for a moment we could…," she babbled, glancing back to the now closed entrance of the cave.

"Forget it," Simon snapped with mock annoyance. "That book is dangerous and it's better this way. Don't play with the fire."

"It's just…"

"I said no." He grabbed her, caught her, picked her up in his arms. "I'm the only one who you can play with," he said, kissing her hard and demanding that made her forget about that damn book. At least as long as he carried her to the boat to bring her home again. Home where they belonged to. Together.


	17. Chapter 17

Epilogue

Home it was… this small room with the white walls that could have told so many stories. Those walls had seen them wild, diving in pleasure; calm, searching for peace in each other's arms. And all those times were magical, unique, something that Lara would never forget. At least that's what she had thought before all that had happened.

Before the phone call that had come in the morning, before they had rushed back to the manor, before a madman had kidnapped her and made her believe she was on his side.

Now Simon was lying next to her just like that morning and Lara could remember every little detail again. How he had loved her, given her all he felt, how he had soothed her loneliness. And changed her life forever. Her priorities had shifted and suddenly waking up beside him had become more important to her than going to another adventure. He had never kept her back with words, but he kept her back in a different way. With his emotions. And she did not mind it.

When he stirred, she turned to her side, running a smooth finger down his chest. A smile appeared on his face at her touch. He put his hand on hers, pressing it to his heart.

"I know this place has not much to offer, but I wanted to bring you here. Back to where we left off," he said without even opening his eyes.

"I don't mind where we are," she smiled at him, linking her fingers with his. She rose, supported her head on her elbow. As Simon felt she was watching him, he opened his eyes, meeting her hazel glance. It was the same loving look, but he could see something in there that made him wonder.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, pushing her back to the pillow and leaning over her for a light kiss.

She hesitated for the shortest of time. "I'm not sure… all this just made me think." She lingered for a few seconds again as if not willing to say it out loud. "Do you think I'm a bad person?" she blurted out finally. "That deep inside me there's someone who I don't want to see? Someone who did that to you?" she grazed a finger over the hardly noticeable scar that was still visible at his brow.

"Don't say such a thing." He took her hand, planted a kiss at the back of it.

"I'm serious. How could he keep me in the dark? Why did I believe him I was that person who could hurt you? How could I not feel it was not the truth? If I'm not a bad person as he said it." There was real worry on her face this time and Simon could not understand how this had ever occurred to her. "I held a gun in my hand and training it on someone felt so easy. I faced you and anger made me hit you. I broke into a museum and I enjoyed it. Now tell me… what other explanation is there than deep inside I'm an evil person?"

"You're not evil, Lara. He confused you and he made use of it. That was not your fault," he tried to sooth her, but knew he did not manage. Not yet. "I've never lied to you, have I?"

When she shook her head slightly, he pulled her closer. "I've made a lot of mistakes, I admit that, but I do know you, Lara. I know who you are and you're not a bad person. Sometimes you go against others, you protect what's yours, you do things others wouldn't, but for a greater good. You just saved the world, for God's sake." He sent her a smile, and she returned it. It was not completely genuine yet, but it was a beginning.

"And I know how you feel. Others may not know it, but I do know. I know you're fun, you're tough and you're capable of love. I hurt you and you still loved me. No one has ever loved me like this." When he kissed her, she returned it and this time it felt real. "So don't ever question yourself again, because I won't let you."

Lara simply wrapped her arm around his neck, looking deep into his eyes and she saw the truth in there. The answer to all her questions and it gave her peace. Maybe sometimes it was not at all bad to be tested and to get out of it as a winner. Kowalski had tried to defeat her and he had failed. Because she was not alone. Because he was there with her, for her. Always.

"Show me your hand," he said after a while, and took it when Lara lifted her left hand. "Don't you think something is missing?"

Lara frowned then suddenly understood what he had meant. She remembered that morning how she had lain here, looking at the simple silver ring on her finger. Simon reached behind him, then turned back to her, hiding something in his fist.

"I gave this to you once and it meant something. You know I don't give a damn to traditions and I know you don't either. But seeing it on your finger gave me a strange sensation I've never thought possible. So now I ask you again."

Lara pulled up a bit, feeling excited like a stupid little girl being asked on a date for the first time. This moment… it felt so strange, so unlike her and yet she wanted it. Wanted to hear the question and desperately wanted to say yes to it.

"Do you want to… maybe not right now, but one day… when we're both ready for it… or when we feel like. You know what I mean…," he jabbered, and a playful smile flashed on her face how stupid she had been, thinking he would just simply ask her to marry him. Rolling her eyes, she laughed out happily.

"Shut up, Simon and give me that ring." She watched him pulling it on her finger and even if he did not say the words, she knew he had meant it. He would say it when the time would come, she thought and kissed him back deeply. They way real lovers do.

* * *

><p><strong>Another story finished, and the Simon-saga now completed as a trilogy. Well... it's been an exciting almsot two years. Thanks for everyone who was reading and reviewing! Special thanks to Najel for ideas, support and proofreading!<strong>

**As always, reviews and comments are welcome any time!**

**See you all next time!**


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